The Way It Should Have Been
by HopelessRomantic246
Summary: Series of one shots in which Syndey and Gage get together, each based off an episode from Season 8 or 9.
1. The Bachelor Party

Author's Note: I happen to believe that there was a point in each and every episode of Season 8 and 9 that it would have been incredibly easy to get Sydney and Gage together. At some point many years ago, I decided to try to write a fic for each episode. Although I didn't even come close to writing all of them out, I did finish 7 or 8 of them. I finally decided to post them, simply because having them sitting on my computer without anyone ever reading them makes them seem like a waste of my time.

Some of them need a little editing before I post them (I was 16 when I wrote them, and now am 23...) but they will all be posted before long.

They are based on the episodes from the season, but most of them only loosely so. For two or three, however, a good chunk of the dialogue and action is transcripted by me and written with my own spin, before diverting entirely into my own storyline. So if a line sounds familiar, it's probably from the episode, and I make no claim to it.

This one is from The Bachelor Party.

Comments and constructive criticism welcomed.

* * *

The Bachelor Party

Gage stood looking out the window at the city below him, pretending to be deep in thought.

"All right, pal. You got the money?" the man behind him asked.

"I don't know. You got the stuff?" Gage questioned, still not turning from the window.

"The stuff's on it's way."

Gage turned to face the man. "Okay. Then the money's on it's way."

"You know, Mr. Montana, we've been checking up on you. Seems you've got a habit of backing out on deals at the last minute," the man said to Gage, stalking threateningly towards him.

"Okay, you don't wanna do business with me, suit yourself," Gage spoke, confident that he wasn't pushing the man too far.

In a room across the hall, Syd and Trivette sat listening to every word being exchanged in the other room.

"Suit yourself. Hmm. Way to go, Gage. Don't let him push you around," Syd commented, never once doubting that her partner knew what he was doing. He was good enough at reading people to know when to give in and when to push harder. If he thought that Slocum could be pushed, the probability was that Slocum could be pushed.

Meanwhile Gage, continuing his bluff, grabbed his briefcase and started to walk towards the door, stopping immediately as the man behind him spoke once again. "Hold it." Gage smirked slightly, knowing that he hadn't misjudged the man he was dealing with, before he turned back to face him.

"You'd really walk outta here?" the man asked him in disbelief.

"Absolutely," Gage responded without hesitation.

"Do you even know who I am?"

"You're Bart Slocum, the number one money launderer in Dallas, but you're also somebody that stands to make one hundred thousand dollars on this deal. If you've got what it takes to back it up." Gage stressed the 'if' clearly implying that he didn't believe that Slocum did.

"Oh, I've got what it takes," Slocum said defensively.

"Not that I've seen," Gage challenged. Not willing to back down, Slocum walked over to the table, opening a briefcase to reveal its contents to Gage.

"That's a million dollars in class-a negotiable bearer bonds, you satisfied?" Gage peered around the other man to get a glimpse of the bonds, making sure that it was what he said it was. "Now, you show me the money."

"Come on, you don't trust me?" Gage taunted, trying to buy a little time for Sydney and Trivette to show up.

"No, and I don't like surprises. Now open it." Slocum gestured to the briefcase Gage was still carrying. Gage looked down at the briefcase, starting to open it before slamming it into Slocum's face.

"Surprise!" he yelled, unable to resist the taunt as he turned to face a very irate Slocum.

"Texas Rangers!" Trivette yelled as he and Sydney ran into the room. Syd immediately sent a kick into the one man's side, forcing him back against the wall. The man grabbed onto her, intending to shove her into the hard wooden door, but she simply used his grip to walk up the door, flipping her feet over her head and landing on her feet behind him. After he turned to face her once again, she grabbed onto his shoulders, pushing herself up and running along the wall, using her momentum to slam him into the door.

Meanwhile, Gage was still fighting Slocum. He sent a powerful kick into the other man's gut, sending him flying across the room to land on the floor. He was up a moment later and Gage ran towards him, jumping up and over the armchair that was in his way and kicking Slocum in the chest once again. This time, Slocum fell backwards, breaking the small coffee table as he landed on it, while Gage simply fell into the chair he had jumped over. He settled himself back into a more comfortable position and turned to watch his partner fight.

As the man she was fighting charged her once again, Syd grabbed him around the waist and fell backwards, pulling him up and over her to land on his back behind her with her straddling his chest. She grabbed her gun and pointed it at him, preventing him from renewing his attack. "Gotcha," she said in satisfaction. She turned to face Gage who was sitting calmly in the chair, waiting and watching while she fought the man. When he noticed her looking at him he gestured to his watch, clearly implying that she had taken too long to subdue her attacker. She glared over her shoulder at him before turning her attention back to her arrest.

Gage picked Slocum up from the ground and handcuffed him before bringing him over to where Trivette was waiting, having long since completed his arrest. "That was some good work," Trivette said, in the general direction of where Sydney and Gage were standing.

"Thanks," they both said at the same time, turning to glare at each other as they realized what had just happened. Gage looked at his partner in disbelief. "What? I-" Gage's indignant comment was cut off by Slocum's quiet question.

"You're a Ranger?"

"Yea, I'm just full of surprises, huh? Let's go," Gage said, shoving Slocum forward out of the room.

* * *

"You should have seen the look on Slocum's face," Syd said as she set a file on Walker's desk, walking over to stand next to her partner at his desk.

"Well, I'm sure he hates going from multimillionaire to prisoner-to-be," Alex replied as she looked at the report over Walker's shoulder.

"True, true. Now he's all yours counselor," Trivette said.

"And just in time, too, huh guys?" Gage asked, feeling the questioning glance of his partner from next to him.

"What does that mean?" Alex asked in curious suspicion.

"Well you know this weekend, is Walker's bachelor party," Gage said, noticing too late the warning looks on Walker and Trivette's faces.

"Bachelor party? You didn't tell me you were going to have a bachelor party," Alex said, turning angrily to her husband-to-be. At the same time, Syd took a step back from Gage. She hadn't known either that they were throwing Walker a bachelor party, and the idea of what that might mean that her partner would be doing that weekend caused a deep disappointment to settle in the pit of her stomach.

"Alex, when a guy gets married, he has a bachelor's party," Walker stated calmly.

"Sure. What kind of party?" Alex asked, desperately needing to know what he was going to be doing.

"A bachelor kind of bachelor party," Trivette said teasingly from his desk, enjoying this conversation immensely.

"What does that mean?" Alex was getting incredibly frustrated with the three men she was talking to, looking to Sydney for sympathy.

"Oh it's gonna to be a par-tee." At the dual glares he received from Alex and Syd, Gage rethought his response. "Kind of normal bachelor party." Syd looked at her partner curiously, seeing something in his expression that made her wonder just exactly what would be happening at this bachelor party. She knew him well enough to know that there was something going on here, but she couldn't figure out just what it was.

"That doesn't answer my question," Alex said in frustration.

"Ugh. Well if you must know, we're gonna take him over to the men's club and we're gonna have eight beautiful women strip dance for him. See you guys," Trivette said as he turned and left the room.

"Great, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time," Alex muttered as she started to stalk away.

"Alex," Walker said finally, glad to see his irate fiancé stop her hasty exit. "Trivette and Gage are taking me to Lake Ebby for a week of fishing, that's my bachelor party."

When Syd heard what Walker said, she looked over to see her partner smirking back at her. She slapped him hard across the arm as she realized that he'd been playing with her and Alex. Alex looked to Gage for confirmation, and he leaned back in his chair, pretending to be reeling in a fish. "Really?" she asked, hardly daring to hope that what he said was the truth.

"Really," Walker reassured her.

At the same time, Alex and Sydney sighed in relief. Soon, however, Alex's previous frustration channeled itself into anger focused at one particular source.

"Jimmy, I'm gonna kill you!" She ran out of the room after him.

* * *

Two days later, Walker, Trivette and Gage finally were at Lake Ebby for their fishing trip. They had bought Gage a new tent, since his old one was currently functioning as his shower curtain, and now they were ready to relax, as long as the bear left them alone. On their hike to the lake, Walker had noticed bear tracks, and now they were on the lookout for a grizzly. They had just arrived at their campsite, when Gage realized that they would need wood for the fire.

"Hey Trivette. Why don't we go get some wood?" Gage suggested to his friend.

"Alright, you go that way, I'll go this way." Trivette nodded, starting to walk off in the one direction.

"Okay, we'll be back in a minute," Gage said to Walker, heading in the opposite direction from his friend.

"Hey, Gage, watch out for the bear," Trivette teased as he walked away.

"Ha ha, that's real funny, Trivette," Gage said, not really all that amused at all. The idea that there was a grizzly bear nearby was not a comforting thought, and Trivette's teasing wasn't helping him relax.

* * *

It was funny that his first thought when he had seen the bear was of Sydney. He was glad that she wasn't with them. Instead of reflecting on that odd occurrence, however, Gage focused all of his attention on getting away from the angry animal.

"Bear! Bear!" he yelled as he ran, hoping that Walker or Trivette would hear him. He paused for a moment and looked around, seeing no sign of the bear. He was about to relax, when suddenly he turned, having sensed a presence just behind him. He didn't have time to back away before the animal attacked, knocking him to the ground and holding him down. He tried to fight off the ferocious beast, but was unable to, screaming in pain as the large paw tore at his chest, shredding his shirt and his chest beneath it. He rolled over, clutching desperately at the ground as he tried to pull himself away.

"Hey. Get off of him! Get off of him!" Trivette yelled as he ran forward, relieved to see the bear turn his attention away from Gage, and focus instead on him. A large paw swiped out at him, knocking him to the ground. Moments later Walker showed up, waving a flaming branch in the animal's face.

"Get Gage!" Walker yelled to Trivette as he saw him approaching them. Trivette pulled Gage up to his feet, supporting him as he watched the bear run away. Walker then came and grabbed Gage's other arm, and between the two of them they were able to help Gage walk back to the campsite. They grabbed their packs and started the trip to a nearby cabin.

"Do you think the bear's still following us?" Trivette asked as they ran. There was no need for Walker to answer as the bear let out a bellowing roar. "I guess that answers my question."

Gage was finding it increasingly difficult to stay on his feet, even with Trivette and Walker's help. "Come on Gage, we're almost there," Walker encouraged him. Walker and Trivette practically carried Gage the rest of the way to the cabin, shoving him through the door and barricading the doors and windows.

Gage fell to the floor, moaning in pain. As soon as they were sure that the bear was not able to get into the cabin, the two other men turned their attention back to their wounded friend. Walker pulled what remained of Gage's tattered shirt from his chest in order to get a good look at the bloody slash marks.

"We've got to clean the wounds." Walker said, shoving his pack at Trivette for him to get out the bandages.

The pain was making it increasingly difficult for Gage to stay conscious. As he coughed an excruciating throbbing made its way through every inch of his body. When Walker and Trivette started to clean and bandage the wounds, he couldn't take it anymore and gave in to the pull of unconsciousness. His last thought before the blackness overcame him was of his partner.

* * *

"I have tried everything. Phone, pager, I even called the Lake Ebby forest station. I can't reach them," Alex said in frustration as she walked through the halls towards her office.

"You gotta find 'em Alex," Sydney said, knowing just how important it was for Trivette and Gage to testify in the case against Slocum.

"I know, if I don't, we don't have a case."

"What are you going to do?" Syd asked.

Alex paused to think for a minute. "I'm gonna requisition a helicopter, care to join me?"

* * *

A couple hours later, Alex and Sydney were sitting in the back of the helicopter, scanning the ground below for any signs of Walker, Trivette, or Gage.

"Ranger Walker. Ranger Trivette. Ranger Gage." Alex spoke into the speaker which carried her voice down to the ground below them.

"I got something," Sydney said, tapping Alex's shoulder to get her attention.

"Where?" Alex asked, scanning the ground below them for what Sydney had seen.

"Down there." Syd pointed out what she had seen.

"Three tents, it could be their camp."

"Chris can you take us down?" Syd said to the pilot, who nodded and started scanning the ground for a place to land.

Once the helicopter set down, Alex and Sydney immediately started walking towards the campsite they had seen. When they came to the clearing, what they saw made them speed up their pace. The tents were ripped to pieces and everything at the campsite was trashed.

"Oh my God," Alex breathed as she saw the destruction.

"No blood, no bodies," Syd mumbled, more to reassure herself than her friend. She walked quickly towards the other side of the campsite, followed closely by Alex.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked as she looked down at some clearly defined tracks in the dirt.

"Bear tracks," Alex confirmed Sydney's fears.

"And blood," Syd added, nearly chocking on the words as she realized exactly what they could mean.

"We've got to get back to the chopper and get some help." Alex was trying desperately to avoid thinking about what could have potentially happened to her fiancé and his friends. The two frightened women ran all the way back to the helicopter, jumping in and telling their pilot to take off immediately.

* * *

Trivette was sitting in the cabin, waiting for Walker to return after his quest for help, when he heard the sound of a helicopter overhead. He ran and poured water over the fire, hoping that the smoke would draw the attention of the people in the chopper. When he looked at his unconscious friend shivering on the table, he just had to hope that whomever it was, they would be able to help.

* * *

"We've got smoke. Looks like it's coming from a cabin," the pilot said as he pointed to a small cabin in amongst the trees.

"There's a lot of tress around it, can we land?" Syd asked, feeling that they had just found their friends.

"Looks like there's a clearing about a half a mile to the north," Chris said, heading in the direction of the clearing.

"All right, let's do it," Syd responded, determined to get to the cabin as soon as possible in case anyone was in trouble. She just couldn't shake the terrible feeling that something was wrong.

The pilot set the helicopter down a minute later, and Syd shook herself from her morbid thoughts. "All right Chris, we're gonna check it out, we'll be right back," Syd said as she and Alex jumped out of the helicopter and started running in the direction of the cabin.

She stopped running when she heard the sounds of screaming coming from where they had left the helicopter. She pulled out her gun and turned to run in the direction that had just come from.

When they reached the clearing, they slowed down, cautiously looking for any sign of their pilot.

"Chris?" Alex called, quieting down as Sydney gestured for her silence.

Syd looked around a group of trees and what she saw made her sick. "Oh my lord, you don't wanna see that. We gotta get out of here," Syd said, turning her friend away from the bloody body of their pilot.

"Back to the cabin," Alex said, turning to run towards the cabin once again.

They both came to a stop and looked around at the trees surrounding them, neither having any clue of where the cabin was. "Which way do we go?" Alex asked, desperate to get out of the open now that she had seen what this bear could, and would do.

"I don't know," Syd answered, looking around her frantically. She tried to focus on how to get out of their current predicament, but all that she could think about was the possibility that the bear had gotten to Gage and had done to him what he had done to Chris. She was shaken from her thoughts as from nowhere, Walker ran out of the trees towards them.

"Alex." He didn't slow down, instead simply grabbing onto Alex's arm and dragging her along behind him. "Come on," he yelled, leading the way for Sydney to follow him back to the cabin.

When they finally had the cabin in sight, Walker yelled, "Trivette, open the door." The door opened for them just as they ran up the steps and they ran through it, Walker and Trivette immediately barricading it once they were all in safely. Syd stood with her gun pointed at the door while they placed the heavy wooden table against the door, holding it there with their body weight. Once the bear stopped ramming the door, Syd started to relax slightly, lowering her gun. As she did so, she noticed the unconscious form of her partner lying on the table next to her.

"Gage?" she asked, putting her gun in its holster, her movements slow because of her shock, before dropping to her knees next to him.

"Oh no..." Alex sighed as she got her first look at Gage.

"The bear got him," Walker said softly, although that much was obvious. Syd looked down at her partner's pained expression, noticing the bloody bandages covering most of his chest, and the fear and grief she felt at that moment was so much greater than any she had ever felt before. She hesitantly reached out her hand to brush her fingers against his forehead, shocked to feel how warm his skin was. His wounds had to be infected. Her fear for him increased with that realization, and for the first time since she had met him, she felt like she was losing him. It seemed that there was a very good chance that she would soon find out what her life would be like without him in it. Just the thought gave her the chills. In the time that they had been partners, he had come to have such a big place in her life, and in her heart, that without him, she would be incomplete. She couldn't lose him; she wouldn't lose him.

"Walker we gotta get him outta here," Syd said, gently wiping a cool cloth over Gage's sweat dampened forehead.

"The door and windows won't hold much longer," Trivette added, knowing that they had to find a way out of the cabin and to safety, and fast.

Walker looked around him and assessed their current situation. "I'm gonna have to try to get to the helicopter."

"The helicopter's a half mile away," Syd commented, wondering if Walker could make the trip before the bear got to him.

"And even if you make it there, who knows if it's even gonna be able to fly?" Alex reasoned, desperately trying to keep him from leaving.

"It doesn't need to be able to fly, let's just hope the radio works. I can call for help," Walker replied, determined as ever to go.

"Walker, the bear is not going to let you get to the helicopter," Alex pleaded with him.

"She's right, you were lucky once, you try it again..." Trivette let the comment hang, knowing that everyone in the room could complete the warning.

"Well if I was lucky once, I can be lucky twice," Walker said with confidence.

Sydney didn't understand how he could possibly feel so confident, but she wanted to believe that he could do it. She knew that it was very likely that he wouldn't survive, but if that was what it took to get her partner help, then that was what needed to be done. Still, he was her friend and she wanted to offer him every advantage possible against the bear.

"Here, take this," Syd said as she offered her gun to him.

"No, if the bear gets in, you're going to need it," Walker responded, turning to face Alex.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, knowing that if he was determined to go, that he was stubborn enough not to let anything stop him.

"Piece of cake," he said before kissing her cheek and heading out the back window of the cabin.

* * *

A few minutes after Walker left, Syd was back at Gage's side, trying to bring down his fever. She looked down at his chest and saw that the bandages were mostly covered with blood.

"Trivette, can you help me redo these bandages?" she called, knowing that Alex was too distracted looking out the window and thinking about Walker to be of any help.

"Sure," Trivette said simply, grabbing the bandages and tape and kneeling beside her. "Do you want me to take them off?" he offered, knowing how difficult it would be for her to see the wounds.

Syd shook her head no, and reached determined fingers towards one of the bandages. As she pulled the gauze back, she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her as she saw what had been done to her partner's chest. His skin that had been so smooth and perfect now had deep ridges where the bear's claw had hit him. She steeled herself and continued, needing to do everything in her power to help him. She didn't know what she would do if she lost him, and she wasn't ready to find out. She continued the re-bandaging in silence, grateful for Trivette's silent assistance. They were almost finished when she noticed Gage start to stir.

Gage felt like he had been run over by about a dozen trucks. With the amount of pain he was feeling, it seemed like he should have been dead. He struggled to open his eyes and when he did, what he saw made him come to the conclusion that he had in fact died, and that this was heaven. Syd was kneeling next to him, applying bandages to his wounds with gentle fingers. But if this was heaven, why was he in such agony?

"Syd?" he muttered in confusion.

"Gage." She sighed in relief as he regained consciousness. She was so worried and the fact that he was awake was reassuring.

Once he realized that she was actually there in the cabin with him, his confusion turned to worry. When he had been attacked, the one thought that had comforted him was that Sydney was nowhere nearby, that she was safe. Now that she was in the cabin with him, that meant that she was also at risk of being attacked. "What are you doin' here?"

"Shh... it's a long story. You have to rest," Sydney said softly to him, brushing her fingers across his forehead soothingly. Gage nodded and his eyes closed once again as he fell asleep, this time with traces of a smile on his lips, despite all the pain.

Syd couldn't believe it. When he had asked her what she was doing there, she had heard a note of concern in his voice. He had been attacked by a bear and was now battling blood loss and an infection, and he was concerned about her. His protective instinct towards her, even when he was in more immediate danger, was just one of the things that she loved about him.

* * *

Sydney heard the commotion and the sound of men being attacked by the bear and didn't leave her place by Gage's side. She heard the sound of gunshots and didn't leave his side. She watched Alex and Trivette run outside, Walker obviously having killed the bear, and still didn't leave Gage's side.

When they finally loaded him onto a helicopter to be taken to the hospital, she insisted on riding with him, holding his hand the entire way. She only let him be taken away from her when they arrived at the hospital, understanding that she wasn't allowed in the room while he was being treated, but still hating the separation. She waited impatiently in the waiting room, praying that he wouldn't be taken from her. When the doctor finally came out and told her that Gage would be fine and that she would be able to see him in a few minutes, she was so relieved she started to cry tears of joy.

Not wanting to scare Gage when he woke up, Sydney headed to the bathroom to freshen up in the five minutes she had before she could see Gage. She splashed some water on her face, washing off what remained of her makeup and the traces of her tears. Brushing her fingers through her hair, she gave herself one last glance in the mirror before turning and leaving the bathroom. Sydney walked over to Gage's hospital room, and determined to keep her composure, she took a deep breath before slowly pushing open the door and hesitantly walking into the room.

Gage was still unconscious, and Sydney found herself glad of that fact. At least that way he wasn't feeling any pain. She walked closer to his bed, relieved to see that he wasn't as pale as he had been. He also was resting much more peacefully. She placed her hand softly against his forehead, grateful that he also didn't seem to be running a fever anymore. She pulled up a chair and sat at his bedside, running her fingers soothingly through his hair. She looked at his peaceful features, noticing, not for the first time, just how very handsome he was. In her opinion, he was the most attractive man that she had ever seen. Of course, her opinion was slightly biased, considering the fact that she happened to be in love with the man in question.

She had fallen in love with him gradually over the time that she had known him, and while her feelings for him were strong, she wasn't willing to risk losing his friendship or their partnership. He was the best friend she had ever had. She could talk to him about anything, and she never tired of spending time with him. Some of her favorite memories involved spending the night at one of their apartments, eating dinner and watching a movie together.

He was also the best partner she could ever ask for. She trusted him implicitly, as she knew he trusted her. They could communicate without speaking, and they fought perfectly as a team. She always knew that if she were in trouble, he would be there to help her, just as she had always tried to be there for him. And now, she felt like she had failed him. He had needed her when he had been attacked and she hadn't been there for him. Sydney didn't know what she would have done if she had been there, but she knew that she would have done anything to protect her partner.

Now, as Sydney sat next to his hospital bed, staring at his peaceful features, she came to a realization. Life was too short for her to continue fighting her feelings for him. She had come too close to losing the man she loved forever for her to hide her love from him. If there was even the smallest chance that he returned her feelings and that they could have a relationship together, she had to try.

With a new determination to reveal her feelings for the man lying unconscious before her, Sydney sat back to wait, still running her fingers softly through his hair.

* * *

The last thing Gage remembered was seeing Syd in the cabin. Now, he seemed to be lying on a bed, instead of the hard wood of the table, and there was a hand tangled in his hair and a weight on his upper arm. He also didn't feel as horrible as he had. Each breath didn't cause unbearable agony, and he didn't have the chills anymore. Deciding that opening his eyes would be a good start for figuring out where he was and what had happened, he struggled to pry them open.

When Gage finally succeeded in opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was a dark head of hair leaning against his arm. He blinked and looked closer, identifying the person lying partially on top of him as his partner. She had her fingers of her left hand tangled gently through his hair and her head resting partially on top of his right arm and partially against the edge of the bed. She was sitting on a chair next to the bed and was bent over in what had to be an uncomfortable position. She probably had been waiting for him to wake up and had fallen asleep.

Gage smiled softly and lifted his left hand from where it was resting at his side and set it gently on top of Sydney's head. It was only then that he noticed the IV line in his arm. Assuming that that meant that he was in the hospital and they were all safe from the bear, Gage relaxed completely and started to gently stroke his partner's soft hair. When he had seen her in the cabin, he had been so worried that the bear would somehow get to her. If she had been attacked, he would have been unable to help her. The fear that that thought had generated in him had shocked him. He knew that as partners they were forced to trust each other with their lives, and it was only natural that he wouldn't want to let Sydney down. In addition to being partners, they were also best friends, and of course it made sense that he didn't want to lose her. Still, that wasn't enough to explain the intensity of the fear that he had felt.

Gage gently tipped Sydney's head to the side so that he could see her face. She was so incredibly beautiful, and her relaxed appearance made her even more breathtaking. It was in watching her sleep that he realized exactly why he had been as terrified as he had, even when he himself was in danger. He was in love with her. Sydney was everything to him. She was his partner, his best friend, and the woman who held his heart.

Gage didn't have time to figure out exactly what his most recent revelation meant for their relationship as he felt Sydney start to stir. He stilled his hand on her hair, not removing it from her head, while he watched her wake up. He smiled as she nestled her head further into the crook of his arm, ignoring the slight twinge of pain as her cheek came to rest against one of the wounds on his shoulder. He gently pushed a stray strand of hair back from her face, still waiting for her to open her eyes.

Sydney woke up slowly, trying to figure out what the weight was that was resting on top of her head. She opened her eyes, blinking to clear the sleep from them and was surprised to find herself looking into her partner's smiling face. The weight on her head was that of his hand, tangled gently in her hair, and she was using his shoulder as a pillow.

"Am I dreaming?" she murmured, looking questioningly into his eyes.

"No," he replied with a quirk of his lips.

"You're really awake?" Syd asked, still not moving from her current position resting against him, even though it was slightly uncomfortable.

"Yep." Gage smiled at his still half-asleep partner.

"You're really okay?" Syd needed his reassurance that what she was seeing was really happening.

"A little sore, but fine," Gage responded softly, starting to stroke her hair once again. He was shocked as his partner who had still been drowsy moments ago suddenly was wide awake as she pulled away from him. The disappointment he felt as she pulled back from him faded quickly as she instead grabbed onto both sides of his face and planted a firm kiss on his lips. When she pulled back from him she appeared to be just as shocked as he was at the unexpected contact. She looked self-consciously away from him as he ran his tongue over his lips, trying to memorize what it had felt like to kiss her.

Not seeing any way out of the awkward situation, Sydney finally got up the nerve to look at her still silent partner and was shocked at what she saw. Gage was lying there, running his fingers against his lips, staring off into space with a dreamy look on his face. It seemed almost like he was trying to commit to memory the feel of her lips against his. If that was true, that might imply that he felt for her at least some of what she felt for him. Knowing that, as she had promised herself earlier, she had to find a way to let him know about her feelings for him, she couldn't pass up this opportunity.

"Gage," Syd whispered as she stood, covering his hand with hers as he looked up at her in shock. She pulled his hand gently away from his face before covering his lips with hers. She kissed him slowly and softly, letting him feel her fear, her relief, and, most of all, her love, through her kiss. After overcoming his shock, Gage kissed her back just as tenderly, pouring all of the same emotions into the kiss.

The kiss went beyond breathtaking to heart-stopping, leaving them both awed at the strength of the emotions behind it. When they both pulled back, all they could do was stare into each other's eyes. There was no need for words, the intimate kiss that they had just shared had said it all.

After an indeterminable length of time, Sydney stood, pushing the chair back from the bed, and walked around to the other side of the bed. Ignoring Gage's questioning glance, she helped him to sit forward slightly as she slid onto the bed beside him, pulling him back so that his head rested against her shoulder, running her right hand through his hair and holding his left hand tightly in her own. She brushed a gentle kiss to his forehead and encouraged him to rest. It wasn't long before he fell asleep, resting comfortably in the arms of the woman he loved.

* * *

When Jessica Taylor, the night nurse, walked into Ranger Gage's hospital room at two o'clock in the morning, she was shocked at what she saw. Her patient had a visitor, which in and of itself was interesting since visiting hours had ended long before. There was also the fact that her patient wasn't alone in his bed. He was sleeping cradled in the arms of a woman who had also fallen asleep. Jessica walked closer to the two, seeing that, even in sleep, they were still holding tightly to each other's hands. Ranger Gage's head was resting against the woman's shoulder, and her head was resting gently on top of his. Just looking at the two, Jessica could tell that they were deeply in love with each other. She sighed as she watched them sleep, wanting desperately to find a love like the one these two shared for herself. Not able to bear forcing the couple to separate, Jessica silently walked out of the room with a renewed sense of hope in her heart.

* * *

When Sydney and Gage woke up the next morning, it was to a commotion coming from the hall outside of the room. Seeing that Alex, Walker, and Trivette were there to visit Gage, Sydney quickly pulled back from him, staying on the edge of his bed but no longer cradling him in her arms.

As their three friends asked Gage how he was feeling and updated him on all that had happened while he had been unconscious, Sydney looked for something to do to distract her from the almost overwhelming desire to kiss her partner. Grabbing a nearby latex glove and sharpie, she started to fiddle with them, finding that it was impossible for her to keep a smile from her face.

* * *

"Give me that. What are you doing?" Gage asked a laughing Sydney as he took the blown up latex glove that she had been drawing on away from her. She had drawn a face on the front, with the thumb as the nose, leaving the fingers sticking up as the hair. "I look alright with a mohawk." He smiled, laughing with his partner who was sitting beside him on the edge of his bed.

"Well, I can see you're feeling better." Alex laughed, happy to see her friend smiling and laughing once again.

"Well, like I say, I'm still pretty sore," Gage said, gesturing to his chest.

"I guess all you can really do is... grin and bear it," Trivette said in a serious tone of voice. Everyone started laughing at his horrible pun, causing Trivette to smile in triumph.

"Don't make me laugh. Oww..." Gage said, trying to stop himself from laughing as his wounded chest protested.

Syd decided to try and change the subject, hoping to help Gage to stop laughing. "So you guys, the wedding's a little over a week away, are you nervous?"

Walker hesitated before answering the question, trying to figure out his feelings on the subject. "No, I'm not nervous, are you nervous?" he asked his fiancé.

"No," Alex said confidently in response.

"Well maybe a little bit," Walker admitted, seeing Alex make the same confession. Everyone laughed once again, Gage trying valiantly to avoid it, but finally unable to keep from chuckling.

While Sydney watched Alex and Walker together, she couldn't help but be incredibly jealous of them. They were obviously very much in love and were happily preparing for their wedding. While she now had a strong reason to hope that Gage shared her feelings, she also knew how he felt about marriage. He had made that quite clear when he had referred to marriage as 'the old ball and chain' during their conversation a little over a week ago. They had been discussing Walker and Alex's upcoming wedding, and Gage had been very clear about how he felt about the subject. He looked at marriage as something that ruined perfectly wonderful relationships, which was the exact opposite of how she viewed it. She felt that marriage could only improve a relationship, bringing the couple closer, and binding them together forever. She had always dreamed of finding a man that she loved who loved her in return, marrying him, and starting a family with him. Now, it seemed that she had found the man she loved, who she suspected loved her in return, but who would never want to marry her.

She shook herself from her thoughts as she realized how depressed she was making herself. Just the day before she had been facing the very real possibility of a life without Gage, and now, not only was he alright, but they had also started a relationship. She should be ecstatic. Determined not to let her thoughts depress her, she turned her attention back to her friends, laughing and joking with them once again.

* * *

Gage had noticed Sydney's distraction during their visit with their friends, but had decided not to mention it until they were alone once again. Now that Walker, Alex, and Trivette were gone, he intended to find out exactly what was bothering her, but he had something else that he needed to do first. He reached out his arm and pulled her to him, covering her lips with his. This kiss was more passionate than the one the previous evening, conveying the desperate longing they felt for each other in addition to their love. When he pulled back from her, she smiled brightly at him, and he didn't try to stop himself from pulling her back to him for another kiss.

"Mmm... that was nice." Syd sighed, leaning gently against his side, careful not to bump his chest.

"Mmm hmm..." Gage murmured, brushing kisses along her jaw and down to her neck. She moaned in disappointment when he stopped the gentle kisses. "So... Syd."

"Yea?" She wondered at the serious tone in his voice.

"Why'd you get so upset when Walker and Alex were talking about the wedding?" He felt her body stiffen next to him, and squeezed his arm around her shoulders in silent reassurance.

"What do you mean? I wasn't upset," Syd said, knowing that it was probably useless trying to lie to him, but still not wanting him to know the truth.

"Come on, Syd. I know you. I know when you're upset. Now talk to me, please?" Gage begged, feeling a desperate need to know what had upset her for some unknown reason.

"Fine." She sighed in resignation, taking a moment to figure out just how much to tell him. "I guess I was just jealous."

Syd mumbled the words, and Gage had to struggle to be able to hear what she had said. "Jealous? Of Alex?" Gage asked in confusion.

"Yea." Syd sighed, not realizing what assumptions were being made by the man beside her.

"You want Walker?" Gage asked, desperately hoping that she would say no.

"What?" She looked at him in shock, suddenly realizing why he had come to that conclusion. "No, of course not, idiot." She chuckled slightly at the relieved look on Gage's face.

"Okay. Then, what did you mean? What are you jealous of Alex for?" he asked in curiosity.

"That she's getting married," she admitted finally, hoping that he wouldn't make the connection that she had.

"Oh," Gage said, taking a moment to digest that. He should have known that it would be something like that. He knew how his partner viewed marriage and should have known that she would be feeling jealous of Alex. He thought back to a conversation that they had had about a week ago. She had been so insistent that marriage could enrich a relationship, bring it to another level. It was during that conversation that Gage had realized that his partner was a hopeless romantic, although she would never admit to that. She had argued so passionately about the subject, just as he had argued insistently that marriage only caused trouble.

Gage almost groaned aloud as he realized what had upset her so much earlier. They had started a relationship the night before, and he was pretty sure that she loved him as much as he loved her. The problem was that she wanted desperately to get married and he didn't. Listening to Walker and Alex talk about their wedding must have made Syd realize that that was something that she could never have, or at least that she thought she could never have.

Gage's silence was starting to worry Sydney. She could tell from his expression that he was thinking, and she was worried that he would figure out exactly why she was so very jealous of Alex. "See Gage, no big deal. Just a little jealousy that Alex is getting to live every little girl's dream." She shrugged, trying to make light of her feelings, and also knowing that she wasn't doing a very good job of it.

Gage shook himself from his thoughts and listened to what she was saying, knowing that her words weren't entirely true but deciding to hold off on confronting her about her real feelings for the moment. Instead he kissed her softly on the forehead before pushing her out of the bed and sending her out to find a doctor who would let him go home.

* * *

Gage was allowed to leave the hospital on one condition, that he not be alone. So now, Sydney was going to be taking Gage back to his apartment, having already made a trip to her place to grab some clothes for herself.

"Hey, Syd. Thanks for doing this. I really just had to get out of there," Gage said as with her help he settled into the passenger side of her car.

"No problem, just try not to whine and complain too much, okay?" she asked as she walked around to the other side of the car.

"Me? Whine and complain? You must be thinking of your other partner," he teased as she settled into the driver's seat.

"Gage, fasten your seat belt."

"Aww... Do I have to Syd? It just hurts so much." Gage was completely serious, and completely unaware of the whining tone in his voice.

"Is that your idea of not whining and complaining?" At Gage's confused look, it was practically impossible for Syd to keep from bursting into laughter. Instead she forced herself to glare at him, smiling in satisfaction as he reluctantly buckled his seat belt.

* * *

Sydney couldn't believe it. All Gage had in his refrigerator was milk that had expired a week ago, a couple eggs, and half a loaf of bread. She shook her head and closed the refrigerator door, turning to look through his kitchen cabinets. She found some cereal, a jar of peanut butter, some cinnamon, and some coffee beans.

Sydney was starting to wonder how her partner survived on the food that he had in his apartment when she noticed the restaurant delivery menus taped to the side of the refrigerator. She shook her head and was about to yell out to him to find out what he wanted for dinner when she realized that he may be sleeping. Once they had reached his apartment she had sent him straight to his bed, despite all his whining and complaining. She walked over to his bedroom, smiling softly as she noticed him sleeping peacefully. She grabbed a notepad and wrote a note to him which she left on his bedside table. She leaned over and brushed a kiss against his forehead before turning and leaving his apartment.

* * *

Gage was having the most wonderful dream. He was in his bed in his apartment, but he wasn't alone. Sydney was stretched out on top of him, wrapped securely in his arms, with her head nestled against his chest. She was drawing meaningless patterns across his chest with her fingertips. He reluctantly pulled his arm from around her waist and stilled her hand as her movements were starting to tickle him. He felt something hard digging into his palm that was wrapped around her hand. He pulled his hand back and looked at hers, noticing for the first time the diamond ring on the ring finger of her left hand. He lifted his left hand from where it still rested around her waist and was simultaneously surprised and relieved to find a white gold band on his finger. He looked up into Sydney's concerned gaze and realized that he was looking at his wife. His 'wife.' Deciding that he really liked the sound of that, he pressed a kiss to Syd's lips and laid back down to go to sleep.

Gage woke suddenly, sighing in disappointment as he remembered that it was only a dream and that, in reality, he was quite unmarried and, therefore, quite alone in his bed. Deciding that those were two things he was going to have to fix, Gage turned his attention to finding his partner.

Instead of finding Sydney, all he found was a note: 'Gage, I'm at the market, buying food - since you don't have any! I'll be back soon. Love, Syd.'

"Love. She said love." Gage smiled, closing his eyes in happiness.

"Of course I did, you idiot. Why else do you think I put up with all your whining and complaining?"

Gage's eyes flew open as he heard his partner's voice from the doorway to his room. When he saw her standing there with a smirk on her face, he couldn't help but laugh. "Because of my amazing good looks and incredible charm?"

"Yea, that's it exactly." Syd infused as much sarcasm into the sentence as possible, despite the fact that it was actually true. "Now, come on, it's time for your sponge bath." Syd turned without waiting to see his reaction and walked across the room to his bathroom, leaving a stunned Gage lying on his bed.

"Uh, Syd? Sponge bath?" A slightly panicked and rather intrigued Gage pulled himself to his feet as quickly as he could and followed after her.

* * *

"So. How exactly do we do this?" Gage asked, standing somewhat nervously in front of Syd in his bathroom, wearing only his boxers.

Syd looked around the bathroom, anxiously avoiding looking at the almost naked man in front of her. As she looked over at his shower, she had to laugh as she noticed that Gage's tent was currently serving as a shower curtain. Typical Gage.

Noticing what she was looking at, Gage shrugged. "My shower curtain tore, what else was I supposed to do?"

"Um, I don't know. Buy a new shower curtain?" Syd laughed as he shrugged once again. Now that they were both more relaxed, Syd decided to tackle the subject of the sponge bath once again. "Now, my suggestion is that we do your hair over the sink and the rest of you in the tub."

At the thought of how exactly she was going to wash the rest of him, Gage nearly groaned aloud. His voice was slightly strangled when he spoke. "Sure, sounds fine to me."

"Good, now grab your shampoo and come over here," Syd said as she rolled up the sleeves of her shirt. She had changed earlier into something more comfortable, and was now wearing a comfy old pair of sweats.

Gage did as ordered and came to stand hesitantly next to Sydney by the sink. "Here you go." She took the shampoo from him before turning her attention back to getting the water warm enough.

"Okay, that should be good enough. Now, bend over so I can get to your hair."

Gage moved so that his head was over the sink, sighing in pleasure as he felt Sydney's hands gently bathe his hair with the warm water. Once it was wet, she ran her fingers through his soft locks for a few moments, enjoying the feeling almost as much as he was. Then she grabbed onto the shampoo, poured some into her hand and began to massage it into his hair.

Without opening his eyes, Gage spoke in a hushed voice, hardly even aware of what he was saying. "Mmm... Can I keep you?"

Sydney's fingers stilled in his hair as her heart stopped at his quiet words. She forced herself to continue the gentle massage while his soft-spoken request embedded itself firmly in her heart. With her delicate caress of his forehead and hair, she made a silent promise that if he wanted her, she would be his forever.

* * *

After Sydney had finished washing and rinsing his hair, she carefully toweled it dry. "Okay, now it's time for the rest of you. Come on, over to the tub."

Gage, who had been completely relaxed, now tensed up in nervous anticipation. He was about to be standing in his bathtub as Sydney ran her hands over every inch of his back and legs. He knew how amazing it was going to feel to have the hands of the woman he loved running over his body, and he just hoped that he wouldn't embarrass himself.

Gage stood hesitantly and walked over to the tub where his partner was waiting for him. He stepped carefully into the tub, as she warmed up the water and grabbed a washcloth and soap. She wet the cloth and then stood once again. "Okay, turn around so I can get to your back."

Gage turned silently and sighed as he felt the warm washcloth against his back. Sydney used it to wet his back before soaping up her hands. She began to slowly run her them across the smooth warmth of his broad shoulders. Feeling him tense at her touch, she started to gently massage the tight muscles. She ran her hands down to the small of his back, soaping the entire length before bringing them back up to his shoulders. She then moved her hands over the powerful muscles of his arms, running them down to his hands. She pulled away from him to pick up the washcloth once again, using it to rinse the soap from his back.

As she ran the cloth over his arms, bringing it down to his hands, she was shocked when he grabbed onto her wrist. He held tightly to her as he turned, before pulling her towards him, forcing her to step into the tub. He turned her so that her back was against the wall, bracing his arms on either side of her before he covered her mouth with his. His kiss demanded a response, and she returned the embrace with equal passion. Her arms found their way around his neck and she pulled him closer to her. He groaned as their bodies came into contact. The sound was incited entirely by pleasure, but the tinge of pain he felt as Sydney's chest pressed into his wounds was enough to bring him from the haze of passion that had overtaken him. Gage slowed and softened the kisses, finally pulling back from her a couple minutes later. They were both breathing hard as he rested his forehead against hers, looking deeply into her chocolate brown eyes.

"I love you, Syd," Gage murmured softly.

Sydney looked into his pale blue eyes, seeing his sincerity reflected in his gaze as well as hearing it in his voice. "I love you, too, Gage," she whispered. He smiled brilliantly at her, and she gave him an answering smile. They kissed again, a much more gentle, slow, and loving embrace.

An indeterminable time later, Gage pulled back from her once again, putting more space between them in hopes of regaining his control.

Realizing what Gage was trying to do, Sydney took a deep breath and ducked under his arm, stepping out of the tub. She grabbed the washcloth and quickly ran it over Gage's legs, aware of his loving gaze resting on her the entire time. Once he was clean and dry, she checked his bandages and then led him back to his bed, his hand held tightly in hers. She got him propped in a sitting position in his bed and was about to pull away when his hand tightened on hers. She looked questioningly at him, and when he pulled her towards him, she sighed and gave in, settling herself on the bed next to him.

"Syd, there's something I want to talk to you about," Gage said, somewhat nervously fiddling with their joined fingers which were resting on his lap.

"Yea?" Syd asked, wondering what had caused the nervousness she could hear in his voice.

He looked up from their joined hands, looking into her eyes, and all of the nervousness he was feeling faded away. This was Sydney he was talking to, there was no reason for him to be nervous.

"Sydney, you're the best partner I've ever had, the only partner I would ever want." He placed a finger against her lips as she started to say something. "Shh... Please, just let me finish this." He watched her nod, knowing that she was confused at his behavior and smiled encouragingly at her. "We can communicate without speaking, and you always seem to know what I'm thinking. There isn't anything that we can't handle together. I trust you with my life, and I know you return that trust. I would give my life for you without hesitation." Gage smiled softly at her as he felt her hand tighten around his, knowing that the idea had upset her but needing her to know. "At the same time, you're my best friend. I've never been closer to anyone than I am to you. You know me better than anyone ever has before, and I know that I can be myself around you." Gage smiled as he saw the pleased look on her face at his revelation. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before he continued. "I don't remember when I fell in love with you. All I know is that at some point, you became everything to me.

"When I saw that bear, my first thought was that I was glad that you weren't there, that you were safe. When I saw you in the cabin, I was afraid that you would be hurt. I only realized why I was so afraid when I was watching you sleep in the hospital. I'm in love with you. I love you more than anything else in the world. I love you more than I thought was possible. I love you, and I will love you forever. If you'll let me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to show you how much I love you." Gage paused, brushing the beginnings of tears from Sydney's cheeks. "Sydney Cooke, will you marry me?"

Sydney didn't try to stop the tears of happiness coursing down her cheeks. She smiled brilliantly up at him. "Yes. Yes I'll marry you, Gage." She didn't have a chance to say anything more as his mouth crashed down on hers. She returned his delighted kiss enthusiastically, fighting to keep from smiling.

After they separated, they lay in each other's arms, smiling from ear to ear. "I thought you were planning on being a bachelor the rest of your life. What changed your mind?" Syd asked, hardly daring to ask the question for fear that he might change his mind once again.

"You," Gage said softly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"You care to elaborate?" Syd smiled, liking his answer but still curious.

"All it took was the right woman... you. You're smart, funny, kind, and caring. Not to mention beautiful and sexy." Gage practically purred the last word, and she felt the heat of his gaze as his eyes swept over her body. "You kick butt with the best of them, and you give one hell of a sponge bath. That's one hell of a combination." He chuckled slightly as she laughed before turning serious once again. "All it took was realizing just how much I need you in my life, just how much I want to hold you in my arms and never let go. Well, that and a little conversation with my friend the grizzly."

Syd slapped his arm gently. "Yea, well, if I were you, I'd get new friends." She watched a smile spread across his face and wondered how she had gotten so incredibly lucky as to have this man love her. "Hey, Gage. Can I make a recommendation?" She waited until he nodded before she continued. "For your bachelor party? Hire the strippers," she said as seriously as she could, trying to keep the smile from breaking out on her face. She failed miserably, and he laughed in pure joy as he watched his fiancé laugh. His 'fiancé.' He really liked the sound of that.

The End


	2. Justice Delayed

This one is from Justice Delayed. Again, any lines that seem familiar are from the episode and do not belong to me. Comments and constructive criticism welcomed and encouraged.

* * *

Justice Delayed

Gage sat at his desk, holding a small stretchy black shirt and imagining what his partner was going to look like wearing it. He was surprised at just how easily he could visualize it and also at how much he enjoyed the image. He knew his partner was beautiful and had an incredible body, but it was surprising to him just how eager he was to see her wearing the skimpy top that he held in his hands. At the same time, he was almost as eager to see her reaction to the news that she had to wear it. He wiped the smile from his face and quickly shoved the shirt beneath his desk as Sydney walked into the room, flipping through a file. He wasn't ready for her to have any clues about what he was about to tell her.

He waited until she had settled in behind her desk directly across from him before he spoke. "So Syd. I've got some good news and some bad news."

"Okay," Syd said, not looking up from the papers she was flipping through.

"I talked to my source and I found out that Russo eats lunch everyday at the Million Dollar Saloon like clockwork." He noticed that he had her full attention now, and was unsurprised at her next comment.

"That's a strip-"

Gage cut her off before she could complete the sentence. "Yes, it is a gentlemen's club." He ignored her as she rolled her eyes and continued without hesitation, pulling out the shirt from under his desk as he spoke. "And of course one of us is gonna have to go undercover, and um, well, I don't think that I can fit into this, so..." He pulled slightly at the bottom of the small garment, noticing the look of distaste on her face and struggling to keep back his smile.

Syd looked over at the small black shirt, knowing that it was going to be much tighter than she normally liked her clothing, but knowing also that she had to do it if they wanted to solve this case. The shirt would be uncomfortable, just as the time she would be forced to spend in the strip club would be uncomfortable. She glared at her partner, daring him to let that smile he was fighting spread across his face. "So, Gage, what's the good news?"

"They have a great buffet," he responded, not realizing until it was too late what he had just said.

Desperate not to hear Gage start talking about his time spent at the strip club, she raised her hand to stop him from speaking. "Never mind."

"I mean, I've heard," he stuttered, blinking hard as the implications of what he had just said registered with him.

Syd just shook her head, wondering why she loved this man as much as she did

* * *

Well, she was right. The shirt was far more than skin tight, in addition to being very low cut, and incredibly uncomfortable, just like the matching pair of black pants that she was wearing. It had been rather embarrassing when she had first met up with Gage once she was wearing the outfit. She knew that he was seeing a lot more of her than he ever had before, as the shocked look on his face proved, as his eyes had lingered everywhere but on her face. She had seen the slight flush of embarrassment as he realized what he was doing, and had been relieved that at least she wasn't the only one embarrassed by the situation.

Now, she was stuck waiting on men who were constantly grabbing her ass, and who wouldn't stop hitting on her. She was getting very frustrated with males in general, and knew that if Gage was at all distracted by the practically naked women dancing on the raised stage once he was in the main room, that she would have to pummel him during their next joint workout.

She walked towards Russo's table once again, distributing the salads to the three men while paying close attention to Russo's phone conversation. She had started to turn and was about to walk away when he held the phone against his chest and spoke to her.

"Hey, where's Edie?"

Syd smiled disarmingly and answered according to the cover they had set up for her. "Well her mother's in the hospital, so Vittorio gave her the week off." She paused and smiled enticingly at the jerk in front of her. "But, um, I'll take good care of you."

"I'm sure you will."

The temptation to slam her fist into the man's face almost overwhelmed her as he smirked at her. Instead, she walked away from him, heading back to where Gage and Vittorio, the club's owner were waiting for her.

"So, did you do what you came here to do yet?" Vittorio asked, eager to get the two Texas Rangers out of his establishment.

"Not yet, Vittorio." Syd sighed in frustration as she set down the tray she was carrying.

"Is this guy ever gonna get off the phone?" Gage complained, eager to get this over with. For the past twenty minutes he had watched countless men grab his partner's ass and hit on her endlessly. Every time one of those creeps touched her, he was tempted, probably just as much as she was, to twist their arm off. Now, he was watching for Russo to put his cell phone down so that they could finally plant the bug and he could get his partner out of there and out of those clothes she was wearing. He had to admit, it was distracting seeing her in the skin tight outfit, and he was just trying to concentrate on the case they were working on, instead of on what an amazing body his Syd had.

He sighed in relief as he saw Russo finally set the cellphone down on the table.

"All right, he's done," Syd said, reaching to set Russo's food order on the tray.

"All right, let's plant the bug," Gage replied, looking to his partner to make sure she was ready.

"I've got it right here. We'll hear every thing within a twenty foot radius," Syd said as she pulled the alternate cellphone battery from the back of her pants.

Gage couldn't help but wonder how she had managed to hide anything in those clothes she was wearing. He shook himself out of his thoughts and got ready to help her plant the bug. "Okay, give me just a couple minutes to get into position," he said as he walked out of the small back room and to the other side of the club across from where Russo was sitting.

Syd watched him walk away from her and got ready for what they were about to do. She grabbed the tray with Russo's food on it and started to cross the room.

"You know something, baby?" Russo asked as he grabbed onto her arm to keep her from leaving. "You cut quite a figure here."

"Well, thank you," she said as she tried to pull back from him, and gave up when she realized he wouldn't let go of her arm.

"Well, you're welcome. Make some real money." Russo let go of her arm to reach out and tap the edge of the stage, clearly suggesting that she join the strippers and dance for him.

"You know what? I can't dance," Syd lied, revolted at the idea of dancing for this creep.

"I could teach you." He smirked at her and she had to restrain herself from slapping him. Instead she simply laughed and turned to walk away from him, knowing that Gage was on his way across the room.

In the meantime, a little ways away Gage was watching and listening to everything that Russo and Syd were saying. Just hearing Russo call Syd 'baby' and watching the way his eyes hungrily devoured her body filled Gage with a jealous anger. When Russo suggested that she dance for him, his anger turned to something close to rage. He saw her start to back away from the table, and knew that it was time for him to provide the needed distraction. He stormed up to them, not needing to fake his anger, just having to redirect it slightly.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey," he said as he reached out and grabbed onto Syd's arm to turn her back to face him, careful not to hurt her. Still she cried out slightly as he spun her to face him. "Where were you last night? I called you fifteen times." In reality, Gage knew exactly where she was last night, having spent the night at his apartment with her for dinner and a movie. This wasn't the time for fond memories, however, so he switched his focus back to maintaining his jealous anger.

"I was working, what do you think?" Syd's tone was frustrated seemingly at having to go through this once again, but at the same time she was also thinking back to how she had spent last night. She turned her attention back to the role she was playing as Gage continued to yell at her.

"What do I think? I think maybe you were here with this guy." He gestured to Russo angrily, wishing he could smack the smug look off the bastard's face. "Is that where you were?"

"Oh give me a break, let go of me," Syd protested over Gage's angry yelling.

"Were you here with him?" Gage accused.

"No!!" Syd yelled defensively, glad to finally be able to show some of her disgust at the idea of spending a night with Russo.

"Hey, down punk. Easy boy, you don't know who you're messing with here. Take a walk," Russo threatened.

"Yea, maybe I don't know who I'm messing with, why don't I buy you a drink?" Gage said as he reached down and grabbed Russo's drink, throwing it in his face with no small amount of pleasure. It was only seconds later that Gage was grabbed from behind by one of Russo's men, while Sydney handed a napkin to Russo. While he was blinded and his men were occupied fighting with Gage, Syd quickly switched the battery on Russo's phone with the bugged one.

Gage kicked the feet out from under one of the men before getting loose from the man holding his arms behind him. With only a couple more punches and kicks, the two men were both on the ground.

"Come on, why don't you get up? Come on!" Gage taunted them, trying to buy Syd a few more seconds. Now, Russo was up and his two men were quick to follow. One of them grabbed him from behind, holding his arms behind him and Syd threatened him with a bottle she had grabbed from a nearby table.

"Get out here before I break your head. Go." It was weird for Sydney to be threatening her partner and her best friend, even though she knew that she would never ever follow through with the threat. She communicated silently to Gage that they had accomplished what they had set out to do and that it was time for him to leave.

"Get off of me," he growled, shaking off the man holding onto him from behind. Then he turned back to Syd and said one final line before walking away. "Hey, you know, you're not worth it."

Syd was shocked as she felt pain stab through her from his last comment. She knew that it was just his way of explaining his sudden change in mood so that he could leave, but still, the words had stung. She shook herself out of her pain and turned back to Russo, trying to wipe some of the alcohol from his face. He grabbed the napkin away from her angrily and stared after Gage as he left. Syd sighed in relief as she was finally able to turn and walk away from Russo's table. She still would have to stick around at the club a little longer to avoid having Russo get suspicious, but she didn't have to spend as much time in his company now that the bug had been successfully planted.

* * *

"Wanna make sure to put the tape in this time?" Gage teased as Syd set up the listening equipment. They were parked in front of Russo's building, waiting to try and get a recording of some evidence against the man.

"Very funny," Syd said sarcastically, continuing to adjust the equipment.

Gage sat back, realizing that, thanks to Trivette's big mouth, Walker now was spending his time picking out china patterns and preparing for his upcoming wedding. "You know I never figured Walker for the marrying type."

Syd looked over at him incredulously. "Are you kidding? Walker's the perfect marrying type. He's ethical, he's honest, caring, strong. What else could a woman want?" Add intelligent, funny, and incredibly handsome to that list, and she had just described the man sitting next to her. And she did want him, desperately. However, it didn't much look like that was going to be happening anytime soon.

"No, no, no, it's not that," Gage replied, knowing perfectly well why Alex wanted to marry Walker. It was what made Walker want to marry Alex that confused him. "It's just that him and Alex have such a good thing going, and you know how sometimes as soon as you tie the knot, a relationship kinda goes south?" Gage asked as he looked at Syd, knowing from her expression that she did not agree with what he had just said.

"Oh that is so bogus. Do you know how many times when you tie the knot, it enriches a relationship, maybe brings it to another level?" She was incredibly jealous of Alex, not because she had any desire for a relationship with Walker, but merely because Alex had a relationship with the man she loved, while Syd was arguing over the virtues of marriage with the man she loved, who would probably never see her as more than a friend.

Gage opened his mouth to continue the argument and then suddenly realized who he was talking to. Sometimes it got confusing having your best friend be a woman. There were things that they viewed from totally different perspectives, and no matter how much they argued over it, they would never agree. Gage had a feeling that this was going to be one of those arguments. "Ah, never mind, it's kind of a guy thing, you wouldn't understand."

Syd looked at him incredulously. A guy thing? She wouldn't understand? He was not going to get out of this that easily. "Wait, it's kind of a what?"

He sighed. He should have known she wouldn't have liked his way of dismissing the conversation. He turned to face her and leaned towards her, looking directly into her eyes. "They don't call it the old ball and chain for nothing!"

She saw the teasing glint in his ice blue eyes as what he had just said registered with her. "Oh, get out. Out!" she said, noticing the huge smile that spread across his face at her reaction and fighting to keep a similar smile from breaking out on hers. "Out of the car, right now!"

"Ok, fine, I'll take a break." Gage chuckled as he turned, actually preparing to leave the car. His plans were changed, however, as he noticed the man walking towards the building. He turned back to Syd, serious once again. "Hey, hey Russo."

They both adjusted their ear pieces and prepared to listen closely to Russo's conversation, however, this was a discussion that Syd was going to make sure they revisited.

* * *

"So, Syd. You wanna come over to my place for another movie tonight?" Gage asked Syd after Walker, Alex, and Trivette had all already left their table at CD's Cantina.

"Sure, you wanna grab the movie, or should I?" she asked as she grabbed her coat from the back of her chair, turning to wave goodbye to Marta on her way out.

"How about I drive, and we'll get the movie together? I'll pick you up in the morning and we can come back for your car," Gage suggested, hoping to be able to spend more time with her.

"Fine, but I'll drive," Syd said firmly as she walked out the door, putting her coat on as she went. She could hear Gage sigh behind her and smiled slightly at the frustrated sound, knowing what was coming.

"Syd, it was just one little accident, when are you gonna forget about it?"

"Gage, you drove the car into a brick wall," she stated with sarcasm heavy in her tone.

"So?" he asked. She simply glared at him in silence. "Fine. You drive." Gage sighed in defeat, although he was smiling on the inside. He had known from the beginning that he had no chance of winning the argument, but he had enjoyed their customary lighthearted banter.

She smirked at him triumphantly as she settled into the driver's seat of her car, looking forward to spending another evening relaxing with her best friend.

* * *

"So, Gage," Syd said as they walked through the door to his apartment a while later. They had spent a long time arguing over which movie to rent, and they had just arrived back at his building. She shrugged out of her jacket, throwing it over a chair as she toed off her shoes, in what had become her little ritual all the times she was at his apartment. She then headed into the kitchen to grab a glass of water for herself and one for Gage. He watched her move around his apartment as comfortably as if she lived there and realized that he liked that she was at home in his place.

It took him a moment to remember that she had started to say something. "Yea, Syd?"

"I've been wondering this for a couple days now, and I decided that you're going to answer me now." She smiled teasingly up at him as she settled herself on his couch.

"Oh, you've decided I'm going to answer you?" He chuckled as she nodded. "Okay then, go ahead." He sat down slowly next to her on his couch.

"How exactly are you so familiar with the buffet at the Million Dollar Club?" Syd smiled teasingly at him, but still clearly waiting for an answer.

"Oh. This friend of mine had his bachelor's party there. I spent most of the night at the buffet table trying to avoid having to look at the women."

"Oh, sure you did. You were trying to avoid the women at a strip club." The sarcasm was heavy in her voice as she laughed teasingly at him, surprised when he still seemed just as serious as before.

"No, actually I was. It's always bugged me to see women degrading themselves like that, encouraging those jerks that grab their ass and whoop and holler over them. They are women, not the plaything or undress-me-doll most of those men seem to think they are."

Syd shook her head as she listened to her partner. They may be best friends, but he still could surprise her occasionally. She had never met a man with as great a respect for women as he seemed to have. She shouldn't have doubted him in the first place, she realized now. She turned her full attention back to him as he continued what he was saying.

"It almost drove me crazy having to watch those men the other night treating you like their property. Every time one of those jerks grabbed your ass, I wanted to rip his arm off. And the way they were looking at you in that outfit, that wasn't any better. Then when Russo suggested that you dance for him, I wanted to pummel him into the ground so bad for even thinking about it," he growled and she was shocked by the force of his anger.

"Believe me, I felt the same way," she replied in commiseration, wondering at the strength of his reaction.

Her comment brought him back from his left over anger and he turned to her once again. "So, we gonna watch this movie, or what?"

"Not just yet. One more thing I gotta ask," Syd said, seeing her opportunity to complete their argument from earlier that day.

He looked over at her questioningly, hesitant to know what she would ask this time. "Yea?"

"Ball and chain?" She smirked up at him, letting him know that there wasn't a quick and easy way out of this.

"That's not a question," Gage teased, laughing at her raised eyebrow in response. "Fine. Look, I know I never should have said that. My whole point was, why risk it? Walker and Alex are doing just fine as they are, why change anything?"

"Because things could be better!" Faced with his disbelieving stare, Syd tried to figure out a way to explain it to him. "Okay, so imagine there's this woman, and from the first moment you meet her, you feel a strange pull towards her. It's more than just attraction, although you feel that as well. All you know is that you want to get to know her. Gradually, you become friends, eventually ending up being best friends. You realize one day that you want to spend almost every waking hour of every day with her." She almost stopped herself as she realized that it might be fairly obvious that she was talking about her relationship with him. Noticing the interested look on his face, she decided to continue into the fantasy portion of her tale. "This leads you to the realization that you've fallen in love with her, and you find out that she feels the same way. The two of you start a relationship and are exceedingly happy. What do you do?"

Gage was making some of his own realizations as he listened to her talk. Everything she had described up until the point where she hesitated had described his relationship with her. And now, he was finding himself wishing that the rest of it were also true. When he noticed that she was still waiting for him to answer her, he shook himself slightly from his thoughts. "I don't know. What's wrong with staying that way?"

"Wouldn't you want to wake up every morning with her in your arms, and know that she will be there every morning for the rest of your life?" Syd said wistfully at the thought of waking up in Gage's arms.

"Yea, I guess I would," he responded as he looked thoughtfully down at the small woman beside him. He imagined what it would feel like to hold her in his arms as she slept, and realized that he wanted very much to find out.

"So wouldn't it make sense to get married? To get that sense of permanence? To make sure that she would always be there in the morning?"

"Yea, I guess it would."

"See, all it would take would be the right woman, and you'd be ready to get married. Now do you understand why Walker wants to marry Alex?"

"Yea, he found his right woman." 'And I'm sitting next to mine,' Gage added silently to himself, wondering how he had never before noticed that he was head over heels in love with his partner.

"Exactly. So, all you've gotta do is find your right woman and I'll be standing beside you as she walks down the aisle towards you in no time," Syd teased although the thought of him marrying anyone else sent a shooting pain through her heart.

"No, you won't be." As she looked up at him in confused pain, he hastened to continue. "Not unless you can be two places at once." He watched the pain fade to be replaced with even more confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's not possible for you to be standing beside me and walking down the aisle towards me at the same time." He waited for a moment for his words to sink in and he knew the exact moment that they did. Her eyes flew up to his in shock, trying to see if he was really saying what she thought he was saying. Instead of answering her unspoken question with words, he reached his hand up and brushed his thumb gently over her cheek as he leaned his head down and captured her lips with his. The kiss was hesitant at first but as the shock and disbelief wore off, it soon grew to be much more passionate. Still, it was tender and loving, conveying months of longing. When they pulled back, they were both breathless and Syd had tears of happiness starting to form in her eyes.

"Just in case that wasn't clear enough. I've realized tonight that you, Sydney Cooke, are my right woman. If there's anyone that could make me get hitched to the old ball and chain, it would be you." He smiled as he ducked the flying fist that was aimed at his chin in response and he laughed in pure joy at the smile that finally conquered the indignant frown caused by his comment. Figuring that he was safe once again, he ducked his head and brushed his lips lightly across hers. As soon as he pulled back, however, he felt an elbow land in his ribs. Sydney laughed out loud and ran from the couch, having recognized the promise of retribution on his face.

Gage chased after the woman he loved and finally cornered her in his bedroom. After wrestling a while, they both fell into an exhausted, but happy, heap on his bed. They fell asleep a short time later, wrapped in each other's arms. And the next morning Gage would wake up with the woman he loved more than anything in his arms, and would know, without a doubt, that that was the way that he wanted to wake up every morning for the rest of his life.

The End


	3. Rise to the Occasion

This one is based off of Rise to the Occasion, although it does not follow the episode as closely as the other stories I have posted so far. It also was my first ever fanfic. There was a moment in the episode where Gage is watching Syd sing and dance, and he suddenly actually looks at her and gets this stunned look on his face. That's where this story starts.

* * *

Rising to the Occasion

Gage could not believe what he was seeing. There was his partner, his best friend, the person that he was closest to in the entire world, and he felt like he was seeing her for the very first time. When she had first begun to dance and sing, Gage was so intent on acting the part of the manager, that he hadn't even been really watching her as she moved about the stage. But as soon as he really looked at her, all thoughts of the role he was playing immediately left him, and he was left staring up at the stage, speechless and dumbfounded.

Now Gage had noticed the first time he met Sydney Cooke that she was a very beautiful woman. But he had never before seen her act and move in such a feminine manner. There weren't very many women rangers, and Syd was determined to be taken seriously, hiding her more feminine side from those she worked with.

Now however, Gage was seeing her in an entirely different light. As she moved gracefully about the stage, Gage couldn't keep from noticing the womanly curves of her body. He couldn't help but imagine that she was up there dancing and singing just for him, as he watched the sway of her hips as she danced in the little orange dress that left so very little to the imagination. He slowly ran his eyes over her petite frame and then finally settled his eyes on her face. The face that he knew so well, and yet felt like he had never really seen.

He met her eyes as she glanced over at him, and their gazes caught and held. It was while he was staring into her eyes that the words of the song finally penetrated Gage's fuzzy brain. Thinking about Syd and their relationship, the words to the song took on a whole new meaning for Gage. He knew that she was special to him, and he knew that he loved her, and he had actually wondered if he was in love with her. Now, as they stared into each other's eyes, it seemed as if they were seeing right into the other's soul. Gage knew then without a doubt that he was in love with her, and had been from the very first moment he had laid eyes on her, he just hadn't been willing to admit it to himself. Now, however, hearing her singing the words to the song, it seemed as if she was telling him that he should 'rise to the occasion', and finally admit his feelings for her to himself and to her. He resolved to himself that he would do just that, as soon as the case was over, Gage was going to tell Sydney Cooke that he was in love with her.

Gage was rudely brought back to reality as he heard a whistle from a man a little ways across the room from him, who then proceeded to yell, much to the amusement of his buddies, "O, baby, you can bet something I got is 'rising' to the occasion." When Gage heard this, he was ready to go and rip the guy's tongue out for daring to say something as lewd as that to his Syd. He was about to rise and storm over to the guy when he felt Syd looking at him. She had continued to dance and to sing without even letting the guy's comment disrupt her in the slightest, and now she was staring into his eyes, communicating to him without words that it was okay, and that he should just let it go. Gage immediately understood, and settled back into his chair, never taking his eyes from Sydney until she had finished the song. The pride that Gage felt as he stood to applaud as she took her bows, was more than the pride felt for a partner at the successful completion of a task, it was more than the pride felt for a best friend who had conquered her self doubts and proceeded to do an amazing job, it was the pride felt by a man as he watched the woman he loved as she completely dazzled him with her talent.

* * *

Sydney had just finished up a few minutes ago and Gage had just set out to go and find her. He wanted to congratulate her and tell her how proud he was of her. He headed over to the bar, thinking that she would probably be looking to get some water.

As he came through the door, he saw Syd over at the bar like he had expected, however, he soon realized that she was not alone, and that she was not appreciating the company. As soon as he came to this realization, he immediately headed over to where Syd was, asking as he went, "Is there a problem here?"

As he approached, the man that was at that point in time invading Syd's personal space turned his head, barely glancing at Gage before turning back to Syd. This momentary glance was enough for Gage to recognize the man that had whistled at Syd during her performance. Gage's blood began to boil as he was near enough to see the guy's hands roaming over Syd's body as she weakly struggled.

Gage knew that Syd could easily take care of this guy and his buddies on her own, but in order to do so, she would have to blow their cover. She was forced to act the part of the weak little female, who needed a man to protect her, and Gage was determined to be that man. He rushed forward and grabbed the guy, spinning him around and sending a powerful punch to his jaw. Gage did not allow the guy a moment to recover from his shock, as he quickly delivered several jabs to his stomach, then stepping back just enough to send a spinning kick into the man's side.

All of this was accomplished so quickly, that the guy's buddies were too shocked to move. That however, quickly wore off, and they started to come to their friend's defense. There were three of them and none of them were very accomplished fighters, quickly being defeated by Gage's expert kicks and punches.

Sydney leaned back against the bar watching, knowing that Gage could more than hold his own with these jerks. She was however surprised, as she had never seen Gage fight with such speed and accuracy. He seemed more motivated and determined than she had ever seen him before, and she realized that he was probably just so into playing the role of protector, that his 'white knight coming to the rescue of the damsel in distress' mindset was coming through in his fighting.

Having dispatched of the three men, Gage went on to beat their leader to a pulp. Amazingly, the man was still standing when Lorenzo Cabral walked through the door. Cabral then proceeded to punch the man in the face, causing him to finally collapse back into unconsciousness.

Syd, resuming her role in their undercover assignment, immediately ran up to Cabral and threw her arms around him, thanking him for saving her. Gage just stood back and watched in disbelief as another man held the woman he loved in his arms, receiving the thanks that he deserved. It took a minute for the rational part of Gage's mind to be heard over the pain in his heart, but Gage eventually realized that Syd was just in character, and was merely doing her job. He glanced up when he again felt Syd's gaze settling on him, and found her looking over Cabral's shoulder into his eyes. Again, they spoke without the need for words, as Syd conveyed her thanks to him, and also an apology for causing the hurt she had glimpsed in his eyes, while at the same time Gage communicated his understanding.

* * *

Sydney and Gage wrapped up the case, sending Cabral and all his men to jail. Gage was currently sitting on the couch in his apartment, staring out the window at the pouring rain and thinking about his partner, the woman he loved. It had only been a few days ago that he had finally admitted that to himself. He realized that he had loved Sydney Cooke since the very first moment he laid eyes on her, but it had been fear that had kept him from admitting that to himself or to her. He had known, if only subconsciously, that if he let himself fall for this woman, that there would be no turning back, and that he would love her with all his being for the rest of his life.

What he hadn't realized, was that it was already too late. He was already madly in love with her, and he had never loved anyone else and would never love anyone else as truly and as deeply as he loved this woman. This also meant that she was capable of hurting him more than anyone else in the world. This fear of being hurt was what had held him back all this time. But he had finally realized that he was wasting something truly amazing, and that Sydney would never intentionally do anything to hurt him. It was that realization, as well as the horror of seeing her in another man's arms, that had motivated him to swear to himself that he would tell her how he felt about her. But had he? No. The case was over, and what was he doing? Sitting on his couch and wishing that she was there with him. Gage looked away from the window and a picture frame on the table caught his eye. In the small wooden frame was a picture of him and Syd, laughing together as they celebrated the end of a particularly long and troublesome case. Just looking at the picture brought a smile to Gage's face, and he decided that he was done waiting. He stood up, grabbed his car keys, and headed out the door

* * *

Sydney was sitting at home, alone, wishing she was anywhere but there. The apartment was so quiet, and she was so lonely. She wished that Gage was there. She had known from the very first moment she saw him, standing there, smiling that goofy little smile of his, that she loved him. As they had gotten closer and closer, eventually becoming best friends, she only loved him more. She just wasn't sure if he felt the same way. Every once in a while she thought that he did, but she just couldn't tell. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on the door. She looked at the clock, it was after ten, who would be visiting at this time of night? She approached the door and looked out the peephole, surprised to see Gage standing out in the hallway.

"Gage?" she questioned as she opened the door. He was standing there, looking determined yet nervous, soaking wet, the water dripping off of him forming a puddle in the hallway. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay? Come on in here, you're soaking wet... You should get out of those wet clothes before you get sick. I think I still have that pair of your sweats, let me go get them." While she was speaking, she was practically dragging him into her apartment, as he was just standing there, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.

It was only as she was heading out of the room, that he snapped out of it. "No! Syd, don't leave, we need to talk."

Now Syd was confused. "Gage, you need to get out of those wet clothes..."

"That can wait, this can't. Now will you please come sit down and talk to me?" Gage was desperate that she talk to him now, because if he didn't say this right this minute, he was worried that he would chicken out again.

"Ok Gage, I'm right here and not going anywhere, now will you tell me what's going on? I'm getting worried here."

"No, Syd, it's nothing to worry about, but will you please just come sit down? If I don't say this now, I don't think I'm going to be able to."

"Okay, I'm sitting, now what do you want to talk about?" Even though he had told her not to worry, Syd was getting nervous. Gage was hardly ever this serious and she had no idea what this could possibly be about.

"I... I want to talk about.. well... us," Gage said, realizing that he was starting to lose his nerve as he was standing there face to face with her.

"Us?" Syd was confused. "What about us?"

"Well, you and me, and our relationship." Gage's voice grew quiet at the end of his statement.

"Our relationship?"

"Yes, our relationship. Syd, I... you mean a lot to me..." Gage hesitated...

"Gage, you know you mean a lot to me too, you're the best friend I could ever ask for," Syd quickly said, growing more nervous as to where this conversation was heading.

"Syd, please, just let me get through this," Gage pleaded, and sighed as Syd silently nodded her head. "You mean a lot to me, and not just as a best friend, which you are. I have never had a closer friend in my entire life, and you and your friendship mean so much to me. I love the time we spend together, and we are perfect as partners. We can communicate without speaking, and we always know exactly what the other is thinking or feeling. But lately, I haven't even known what I've been feeling, but I realized it the other day. Watching you drape yourself over that jerk Cabral helped me to figure it out. I hated watching you with him, and hated that he was the one that got to hold you in his arms.

"I realized then that I was jealous. I wanted to be the one to hold you, and I wanted to be the one to kiss you... Syd, I realized that I love you. I've loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you, and I only love you more now. I know that I will love you for the rest of my life, and with all my heart and soul. I love you, Sydney Cooke," Gage finished, looking straight into her eyes for the first time since he started his speech. He was shocked and ashamed to find tears flowing down her beautiful face. He rushed to kneel in front of her, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. "I'm so sorry Syd, I never meant to make you cry. I'll just leave now..." Before Gage could pull back away from her, Syd reached out and grabbed onto him.

"Can I say something now?" Syd whispered, still not letting go of him. Gage slowly nodded, suddenly nervous again. "Gage, I love you. I've loved you forever, and I have never and will never love anyone else as much as I love you. I was just so worried that you didn't feel the same way, oh Gage, I love you!" As she said her last 'I love you' she threw herself off the chair into his arms, clinging tightly to him as silent tears of joy flowed down her cheeks. He pulled back from her slightly, brushing the hair away from her face, as he murmured, "You are so beautiful..." before he leaned down and caught her lips in a slow and sweet kiss that quickly escalated to incredibly passionate as their longing and their love that had so long been restrained was let free. After a few moments, they both pulled back, completely breathless and gasping for air.

All of a sudden, they both realized that they were kneeling on her kitchen floor, sopping wet, and probably looking like drowned rats. They both burst out laughing. They laughed for the hilarity of the situation, and they laughed for pure joy at the discovery of their love. After a few minutes of hysterical laughter, they both quickly sobered and realized that if they wanted to avoid getting sick, they would have to go and get dry, but neither really wanted to leave this moment.

Syd was finally the one to say what they were both thinking, "Ok, we have to go get dry, as I said before, I'm pretty sure that I've still got that pair of sweats of yours somewhere, I'll go get them, then you can change in the den and I'll be right out as soon as I get dry. Ok?"

"Sounds good to me, Syd, just one thing."

"What's that?"

"This," Gage said as he slowly leaned forward for one more kiss.

"Ok, we can do that later, let's go get dry," Syd said after they parted.

* * *

An hour later they were both curled up on the couch, watching a movie. Syd was lying comfortably in Gage's arms, where she fit perfectly. Gage glanced down at her, seeing her sleeping peacefully, and smiled. He finally was holding her in his arms, and he knew that he never wanted to let her go. Hopefully, he would never have to. Gage leaned down and brushed a gentle kiss against her forehead, smiling slightly before he drifted off to sleep with the words, 'I love you, Syd' on his lips.

The End


	4. Soldiers of Hate

This one is from Soldiers of Hate, but it really just takes off from the very end of the episode and has very litle else to do with it.

* * *

Culpable Confetti

Gage watched the Kick Drugs Out of America All Star Unity Team give their demonstration, clapping as they finished the routine. He looked up as confetti was released to fall over the crowd, landing on top of his head. He gazed down at Syd who was standing in front of him and saw the bright smile on her face as she tried to avoid most of the confetti floating down on her. He reached out and grabbed some of the strings of confetti before playfully wrapping them around her neck. The smile that she sent in his direction was so breathtaking that he couldn't resist. Without even realizing what he was doing, he pulled her towards him using the confetti he had just wrapped around her neck and lowered his lips to hers. He could feel her shock at the contact, just as she could probably feel his as he realized that he was kissing her. He pulled back quickly from her in shock, looking away from her in embarrassment. As Alex turned to him and suggested that he invite Darvin and his older brother JJ over to meet the Unity Team he was relieved to have an excuse to leave. He quickly walked over to where the two were standing, risking a glance in Syd's direction to see her staring over at him in confusion. He broke the eye contact and turned his attention to the young boy in front of him; he would have to deal with the kiss later.

* * *

As Syd watched the Unity Team perform, she was, as always, conscious of the warm, solid presence standing immediately behind her. It was a comforting feeling, knowing that Gage was always there. He made her feel safe and cared for, two feelings which she cherished. She had never felt as comfortable and at ease around any other man as she did with him. The first time she had met him, she had been shocked at the force of the attraction that she felt for him. Over time, as they had become best friends, she had slowly and gently fallen in love with him. It had happened so gradually that she hadn't even noticed that it was happening until she realized it suddenly some time in the last week. After that realization, she had been unsure how to act around him for a while. Then she had realized that he was still her best friend, and that would never change, and their relationship had continued on as always.

She was shaken from her thoughts as the Unity team finished their demonstration. She looked up as confetti fell all around her. She smiled as she turned to look up at Gage who grabbed onto some of the confetti and playfully wrapped it around her neck. She smiled up at him, unable to keep some of the love she felt for him from shining through in her expression. He lowered his head towards her, and before she could figure out what he was doing, she felt his lips brush against hers. She blinked in shock before letting her eyes close. A moment later, through her shock, she started to tentatively kiss him back. Just as suddenly as the kiss had begun, he pulled back from her and turned away. She looked up at him and would have sworn that he was blushing. She held back her sigh of disappointment as Gage practically ran away from her at Alex's suggestion. She shook herself out of her shock and disappointment as Walker came over to introduce them to one of his best students. She would just have to figure out what had happened between her and Gage later

* * *

Syd was standing nervously outside of Gage's apartment. Ever since the celebration, Gage had been avoiding her. She had missed his presence for the remainder of the day, and she wanted desperately to talk to him about what had happened earlier. Now that she was standing outside his door, however, she was starting to wonder if talking to him about this was a good idea. Maybe she should just go home and see him at work on Monday. Still, thinking back to how uncomfortable he had seemed around her earlier, she thought it probably would be a good idea to settle this now, instead of letting it ruin their friendship.

With a new burst of courage, she walked up to the door and knocked decisively. He opened the door a minute later, and she almost swallowed her tongue as she looked up at him. He had obviously been working out, and he was wearing an old shirt with the sleeves cut off and a pair of shorts, showing off his muscular arms and legs. There was a slight sheen of sweat covering his body. She tore her eyes from his body looking up guiltily into his face. His hair was ruffled and his gorgeous blue eyes were looking at her full of curiosity.

She smiled through her embarrassment as he stepped back from the door, allowing her access to his apartment.

"Hey, Syd. What's up?" Gage asked hesitantly as he looked at his partner curiously.

"Nothin' much." Syd sighed as she stood uncomfortably in his living room. Things were more awkward and uneasy between them than they had ever been.

"So..." Gage started, knowing that his unexpected kiss was the cause of their uneasiness now, but not knowing what to do to fix it.

"Um, Gage? Can we talk?" Syd asked hesitantly, gesturing towards his couch.

"Sure, you want something to drink or anything?" Gage asked, trying to postpone the conversation that they were about to have.

"No, that's okay," she said as she sat down on the couch, patting the seat next to her and watching him hesitantly sit down beside her.

"So, Syd."

"So, Gage, about earlier..." Syd and Gage both spoke at the same time, laughing slightly as they realized how ridiculous they were being.

"Okay, Gage, this is ridiculous. Earlier, you..." Syd sighed, knowing that she had to just spit it out or they were never going to get anywhere. "You kissed me."

Gage flinched slightly at her blunt phrasing. He cleared his throat nervously. "Uhm, yea. I did."

She looked up at him reassuringly before asking her next question. "Why?"

"Wh- why?" He broke eye contact, looking away from her nervously.

She reached up and turned his face to her. "Gage. Why did you kiss me?"

"I don't know, Syd. I didn't even realize that I was doing it until it was too late. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to kiss you. I didn't even want to kiss you." Gage sighed, not noticing the disappointed look that crossed his partner's face as he was too distracted by his own confusion. He didn't understand what he was feeling. Syd was his best friend, and he loved her, but until tonight, he hadn't ever imagined that he could feel anything for her romantically. When he had kissed her earlier, it had just felt so unbelievably right. The incredible desire he had to do it again had shocked him, almost as much as the fact that he had kissed her in the first place. Now he was trying to figure out just what was going on, and with her sitting as close to him as she was, it wasn't easy to concentrate. He pulled back from her and turned to stand and started to pace around his living room.

Syd, in the meantime, was fighting tears. His last comment had hurt her a great deal. Ever since he had kissed her, she had been unable to keep from hoping that he may share some of her feelings, but now, with one simple sentence, all her hopes had been dashed. The man she was in love with didn't even seem to be even remotely attracted to her. She looked over at where he was pacing, and shook off her hurt, needing to keep him from seeing her pain. She pulled herself together and stood, turning to face him. "Fine then. We'll just forget it ever happened and move on with our lives. I'm gonna get going, I'll see you at work on Monday. Goodnight, Gage," she mumbled, not even waiting for his reaction before she started to walk away.

Gage blinked as he was pulled from his thoughts and watched her walk towards the door. Trying to figure out what had upset her, he thought back over what he had said. 'I didn't even want to kiss you.' He groaned and ran after her, trying to stop her from leaving. "No, Syd. Wait. We still need to talk."

She paused with her hand on the doorknob and reluctantly turned to face him once again. "Gage, really, it's fine. I'm kinda tired too. I'll just see you Monday."

"Please, just give me a chance to explain what I meant. I didn't mean what I said the way it sounded. Come on, just come sit down again," Gage said, feeling horrible for the impression that he had given her.

Syd dropped her shoulders, knowing that she was of course going to give in. She reluctantly turned and followed him over to the couch, hoping that she hadn't already given away too much about her feelings for him.

"Syd, I didn't mean what I said, about not wanting to kiss you." Gage sighed, hating that she still wasn't meeting his eyes as he sat across from her.

"Well then what did you mean?" Syd asked, trying to keep from getting her hopes up.

"All I meant was that before this afternoon, I'd never thought about kissing you before. Heck, I wasn't even thinking about it as I was doing it. It was probably just as much of a shock to me as it was to you," Gage said, hoping that his words were getting through to her.

"So, you'd never wanted to do it, and you didn't even want to do it when you were actually kissing me. Is that what you're saying?" Syd questioned softly, wondering if the pain she was feeling could get much worse.

"Yes. No. I don't know, Syd. I'm just so confused about all of this." Gage ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"That's fine Gage. I already told you. We can just forget it ever happened," Syd said, wanting to give him an easy way out. Even if she was hurt, she still loved him and wanted to keep their friendship intact.

"But that's just it, Syd! I don't think I want to forget it happened!" Gage said forcefully, standing and starting to pace once again as he tried to work through his feelings. "I don't want to forget what it felt like to kiss you. I don't want to forget what it felt like when you started kissing me back. I don't want to forget about the fact that I want to kiss you again."

Syd sat on his couch, staring at him in shock as he paced in front of her. She didn't have a chance to respond as he continued to pace and talk.

"I'd never even thought of kissing you before. It probably was my subconscious telling me not to ruin the best friendship I've ever had. When I kissed you today, it felt like I was finally getting to do something that I've wanted to do since I'd met you." Gage sighed as he finally settled back down on the couch, putting his head in his hands in frustration.

"Gage, why did you kiss me this afternoon?" Syd asked quietly, her hopes up higher than she had ever intended to let them get.

"I just... I don't know. I looked down at you, and you looked so beautiful with that confetti in your hair and that smile on your face. I didn't even realize what I was doing until I felt your lips under mine." He sighed once more, looking over at her. "All I know is that I want to kiss you again, and until now I'd never imagined having a romantic relationship with you. Now, I can't stop thinking about it. At the same time, I know that it would probably ruin our friendship, and that's the last thing I'd want to do. And I know you probably don't have any desire whatsoever to be more then friends with me, but now I just don't know how to just be friends with you any more when I want more. I just don't kno-" Gage's eyes opened wide as his nervous speech was cut off by his partner's mouth.

Syd had been listening to him ramble with an increasingly brilliant smile spreading across her face. When he mentioned wanting more than friendship with her, she gave up. She reached over and grabbed his face between her hands, covering his mouth with hers. She felt his shock but was pleased as he started to return her kiss.

They were both breathless when they pulled back from each other endless moments later. Syd smiled tentatively up at her shocked partner, who was staring back at her in shock.

"Hey, Syd?" he asked as he came out of some of his shock.

"Yea?" She smiled gently at him, knowing what his question was going to be.

"What was that for?" Gage asked hesitantly.

"For being an idiot." She laughed at his confused expression and slapped his arm playfully. "You just assumed I didn't feel the same way you did. If I wasn't so good at getting you to talk, who knows where we'd be." She chuckled at him.

"You mean, you do feel the same way?" Gage asked, ignoring her teasing of him in favor of focusing on the meaning of what she had said.

"Well, no, not really." She watched his brow furrow in confusion and laughed quietly before she continued what she was saying. "I've known since I met you that I wanted to kiss you." She laughed out loud as his eyes flew to hers in shock.

"You have?" he said incredulously.

"Uh huh," Syd replied, enjoying his reaction immensely.

"Wow." Gage smiled cockily.

Syd groaned as she saw his face. "Oh no you don't. Don't even think about getting all cocky on me now." She punched him lightly in the side, and was surprised as he grabbed onto her arm, pulling her into his arms.

"Come on, how can I help but feel confident? Sydney Cooke just told me that she's wanted to kiss me ever since she first met me. That would give anyone an ego boost." He smiled sexily at her and the look in his eyes as he looked down at her took her breath away. A moment later, she was having trouble breathing for an entirely different reason as his mouth covered hers once again.

This kiss was more confident and also more passionate. It also had a teasing, playful feel to it. They both pulled back from the kiss smiling and slightly breathless.

After an indeterminable amount of time of just looking at each other, Syd decided to ask the question she had been silently wondering since the first time she had kissed him. "So... Where exactly do we go from here?"

"Whadda ya mean?" Gage asked.

"Well, are we just best friends who kiss occasionally? Are we gonna date a little? Or are we going to ignore what happened tonight?" Syd was hesitant to make the suggestion of what she really wanted to happen.

"No, no, and no. What else you got?" He smiled teasingly at her.

"This is the start of a deep and meaningful relationship that will last the rest of our lives?" she suggested, trying to force a teasing note into her voice despite her feelings.

"Yea, that one sounds about right." Gage smiled gently down at the beautiful woman he was cradling carefully in his arms. His own grin grew as she smiled brilliantly up at him before placing a quick and happy kiss against his lips. He was quickly getting used to that, and he wondered how he'd never imagined how amazing it would feel to kiss his partner.

"You better not be just playing with me," Syd threatened playfully, but with a note of real concern in her voice.

Gage pulled his arms from where they had settled around her shoulders and held them up as a gesture of his innocence. "Would I do that?" he asked in wide eyed shock that she would even suggest such an idea.

"Yes, you would. You'd just better think twice before trying it, Francis," she growled, knowing that she was pushing it by using his hated first name. She smiled as he reacted in just the way she expected, flipping her over and hovering above her with his hands poised to attack.

"Take it back," he warned, acknowledging her unspoken refusal by starting to tickle her ruthlessly.

And so began the most playful wrestling match the two had ever engaged in. They rolled off his couch, not halting their battle but instead continuing to roll around on the floor of his apartment. They continually traded having the advantage, each taking the opportunity to tickle each other ruthlessly. Their wrestling match was only broken when they stole the occasional kiss from their far from complaining partner.

Awhile later they lay entangled on the ground in each others arms, exhausted but content. Gage cradled his smaller partner in his arms, exceedingly glad that his heart had ignored his mind earlier in the day and allowed him to kiss her.

"Hey, Syd?" Gage asked quietly.

"Yea, Gage?" Syd sighed, incredibly comfortable nestled in his arms.

"You think we could get some confetti?" Gage struggled to keep his smile from coming through in his voice.

"Confetti?" Syd asked in confusion.

"Yea, I'd love a picture of you covered in the stuff. I mean, I've got the mental picture, but that's only worth so much. I mean, I can hardly show my memory to everyone we've ever met, can I?" He struggled to keep from laughing as he imagined what her reaction would be, at the same time as he tightened his stomach muscles in preparation for the expected blow. However, her reaction wasn't what he expected.

"Gage?" She tried to keep from laughing as she felt his abs tighten beneath her, knowing exactly what he was doing.

"Yea?" he asked, somewhat hesitantly, but still with a teasing note to it.

"Shut up and kiss me."

And he did, and it was so much better than what he'd expected.

The End


	5. The Day of Cleansing

Author's Note: This one is from The Day of Cleansing. I changed some things though. Gage is nearby when Syd's cover is blown, and she isn't on the phone with Walker when that happens, so Walker's not already on his way. I think that's all that really matters, or isn't already obvious.

* * *

The Day of Cleansing

Gage was having trouble keeping to his undercover assignment. The hatred in the voices of the men surrounding him as they discussed what they called 'inferiors' was making him sick. It was so difficult keeping his disgust from showing as Eagleton outlined his plan for their 'Day of Cleansing' and forcing himself to instead applaud with the rest of the men.

Now, he was with the other men getting the trucks ready to be sent out to their different target locations. He was trying to find time to make the call to Walker to get some backup, when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from over by the ranch. He headed over to the noise and had to keep himself from breaking into a run as soon as he saw what was happening.

Apparently, Sydney's cover had been blown, and now several of the men, including Eagleton, were ganging up on her. She was holding her own in the beginning, but soon two of the men got a hold of her. He sped up his pace as he watched these men hit and kick his partner. He had only a few moments to make his decision about what to do. He could break his cover and hope that he and Syd would be able to take down all of the men, or he could try and find a way to get her away from them without breaking his cover.

Coming up with a strategy to try and rescue his partner without revealing himself to be a ranger, he headed forward, knowing that if it didn't work, he would immediately break cover to keep her from getting hurt.

"Hey, what's goin' on here?" he asked, trying to keep his anger from coming through in his voice. He was relieved when his appearance distracted the men holding his partner enough for them to loosen their hold on her.

"This little woman here's a Texas Ranger." Eagleton sneered, gesturing over at Syd. Gage looked over at her, letting recognition cross his face. She looked at him in confusion for a moment, before realizing what he had planned.

"I know this Lady Ranger," Gage said, infusing as much hatred at he could into his voice. "We've crossed paths before." He walked up towards her, running his hand along her face and watching her flinch away from his touch. "She put me in jail." He turned to face Eagleton and the other men. "Hey guys, you mind giving me a chance to get some revenge?"

Eagleton looked at him speculatively before gesturing to the two men holding Sydney to let her go. As soon as she was free from their grasp she straightened and fell immediately into a fighting stance. He did the same and began slowly circling around her. Before long she threw the first punch, which he easily evaded before sending a roundhouse kick into her side. The kick was tightly controlled, and while it would appear to be a hard and painful hit, the impact would barely hurt his partner. They spent a lot of time sparring together and were expert at reading each other's moves and keeping from hurting each other. He knew that this fight would be different because he was being closely watched and he would need to give the appearance that he was not only winning, but physically hurting her as well.

Syd doubled over in reaction to his kick before trying to kick his feet out from under him. He jumped over her leg and followed through with a backhand across her face. His fist made a sound as it impacted her cheek, and he almost winced as her face flew to the side. When she looked back at him, there was a small cut across her cheek. She noticed his hesitation, just as the men surrounding them did, and sent a fist into his side. Syd sent him a silent message as he looked at her that he needed to make it look more realistic. With her punches and kicks, she forced him to react with more force then he normally would. Before long, it was obvious that she was tiring and starting to lose. With her prompting a reaction from him, he sent a spinning back kick into her head. Despite the fact that he controlled the impact, the force of the kick still sent her to the ground. The cheering of the men around him was enough to keep him from following his instincts and falling to the ground and cradling his partner carefully in his arms.

He turned to face an applauding Eagleton and gestured to the still form of his partner on the ground. "What do you want me to do with her?"

"Put her in one of the trucks, that'll take care of her." Eagleton smirked, clearly imagining the moment the truck would explode with the Texas Ranger trapped in the back. Gage nodded, knowing that he would never let that happen, and moved over to Syd. He knew that the men were probably expecting him to casually throw her over his shoulder, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. If there was any chance that she was hurt, he wouldn't risk hurting her any worse. He gently lifted her into his arms, cradling her small form against him.

It always amazed him to realize just how small she was. She felt so fragile, like if anyone even held her too tightly, she would break. And yet he had seen her take some hard hits and hardly blink an eye. He carried her carefully over to one of the trucks farther away in the hopes of getting out of sight of the other men. He gently set her down in the bed of the truck, conscious of one of the others glancing in his direction curiously.

"Hey, Syd," he whispered, hoping that he hadn't really caused her to lose consciousness. He was relieved when he heard her quiet voice answer him.

"Nice kick you got there Gage." She groaned quietly, opening her eyes slightly. She was careful not to move too much, knowing from Gage's behavior that they were being watched.

"Sorry, Syd. I didn't know how else to get you out of there. Are you alright?" He risked reaching out his hand to gently brush against her cheek where his kick had left the beginnings of a bruise.

"Yea, I'm fine. Right now we've got to worry about getting out of here. Do you have a plan?" she asked, wondering if he was aware that he was still brushing his fingers against her cheek but not wanting him to stop.

"Well, they're watching me pretty closely, so I think I'm going to have to leave you here. I'm gonna give Walker a call, get some backup here. As soon as I can, I'll come back and get you. Whatever you do, don't move. Okay?" Gage knew she wasn't going to like his plan, but he didn't see that they had any choice. He was being watched, and they were already getting suspicious of what he was doing by the truck. If they became suspicious of him, that would not only put him and Sydney in danger, it also would risk most of Dallas. If his cover was broken, he wouldn't be able to get their backup there in time, and Eagleton would succeed in his plan.

"What, so I'm just supposed to stay here and play dead until you come and get me?" she asked incredulously, not liking that she wouldn't be there to back her partner up against Eagleton and his men. She also wanted a chance to take down some of the men herself, knowing that the next morning she would have quite a few bruises to thank them for.

"Yes. That's the only way. I've gotta get away from here now before they get too curious. If my cover's broken, we've got no way to get Walker and the others here. Just sit tight, and I'll be back for you as soon as possible." Gage didn't give her time to respond as he noticed a couple of the men walking towards him. He gently, but quickly, pushed her back further into the truck and slammed the doors to the truck closed. He turned to face the two men and put a cruel smile on his face. "Taught that bitch a lesson." He watched them carefully and noticed as they came to the conclusion that he wanted them to. Satisfied that his cover was safe for now, he turned and walked confidently away, making sure that he knew exactly which truck held his precious cargo. Once he got a fair distance away, he took out his cellphone and made the necessary call to Walker. After being reassured that they were on their way, Gage went back over to meet up with Eagleton.

He listened carefully as Eagleton described how to arm the trucks. Once the handle by the driver's seat was pulled, it started a reaction between the chemicals in the back of the truck. After the reaction began, the truck would explode in four minutes and there was no way to stop it. Whatever it took, he knew that he had to keep the handle from being pulled on the truck that had Sydney in the back of it.

Just as Eagleton dismissed them, sending them each to their trucks, Gage saw Walker, Sammo, and the local law enforcement officers pull up. Taking that as his cue, he tackled one of the men. The fight didn't last long, and they soon had all of the drivers in custody, but Eagleton was missing. Gage shoved one of the men at one of the Dallas police department officers, running over to where Walker was standing with Sammo.

"Walker, Syd's cover was broken, she's in the back of one of the trucks," Gage yelled, not waiting for his boss's response as he turned and ran over to where he had left his partner. His heart dropped to his gut as he noticed the empty space where the truck had been. He looked off into the distance and saw the truck driving down the gravel road that lead towards town. He turned to face Walker and Sammo as they came to stand next to him.

"Walker, Eagleton's in that truck, and Syd's in the back of it," Gage said, hearing the panic in his voice and powerless to stop it.

"Okay, Gage. We'll get her. Come on, Sammo, let's get to the helicopter," Walker said, and turned to walk away without waiting for Gage's reaction.

"Walker, wait. I'm coming with you," Gage said, walking quickly after the other two men. "And don't even try and tell me I can't," he threatened as he saw Walker preparing to say something. "Syd's my partner, and I'm going with you."

Walker looked at him speculatively for a moment and then nodded and continued towards the helicopter. Gage sighed in relief that he wouldn't have to spend any more time fighting with Walker instead of catching the truck. He climbed into the back of the helicopter, leaning part way out to the side, anxious to get to Syd.

"Walker, make sure he doesn't pull the handle. If he does, there's only four minutes till it explodes, there's nothing you can do to stop it," Gage yelled to Walker as the pilot brought the helicopter to hover over the truck. Walker nodded before preparing to jump out of the helicopter onto the roof of the speeding truck. He landed on the roof and made his way to the driver's side door, forcing Eagleton to bring the truck to a stop.

Gage didn't wait for the pilot to land before he jumped out, falling the last ten feet to the ground. He heard Walker yell that the handle had been pulled, and ran the rest of the way to the truck, breaking off the lock and yanking the door open. He was relieved to find his partner standing there, having been trying to open the door. He reached up and to Syd's great astonishment lifted her off of her feet and down to the ground next to him. He grabbed onto her hand and started to run towards the helicopter, dragging her along behind him. He stepped up into the helicopter and pulled her to sit next to him. He knew that Walker and Sammo were going to try and drive the truck far enough away that the damage from the explosion wouldn't reach Dallas. Sydney, however, didn't even know that the truck was about to explode, and was therefore wondering exactly what Gage was doing.

"Let's get out of here," Gage yelled to the pilot, holding a struggling Sydney close against his side. He knew that she wanted to know what was going on, but he had to get her to safety before he could worry about satisfying her curiosity. The pilot lifted the helicopter into the air, flying back towards Eagleton's camp. Gage checked his watch, seeing that they only had a minute left until the truck exploded. The pilot was aware of the same thing, and he set the helicopter down in a small clearing a couple miles from the camp. As the helicopter landed, Gage pulled Syd with him and started running towards cover. He checked his watch and seeing that they only had a few seconds left, shoved Syd to the ground, careful to keep his hand behind her head to cushion the impact and covered her with his body. He ignored her questioning whisper of his name and moments later the ground shook with the force of the explosion. Rocks and other debris showered down on top of them, and Gage flinched as a particularly large rock fell onto his shoulder. A few minutes later when the debris stopped falling, Gage pushed himself up on his arms to look at the woman lying beneath him.

"You alright, Syd?" Gage asked, brushing a smudge of dirt off of her forehead.

"Yea, I'm fine, you okay?" Syd asked, suddenly understanding why Gage had been so insistent in pulling her along behind him.

"I'm good." Gage sighed as he grazed his knuckles over her cheek. The relief he was feeling at knowing that she was safe and relatively unhurt and with him was so great that he was hardly aware of anything else. She was the best friend he had ever had, and the cold fear that he felt when he realized that Eagleton had her had prompted him to make a few other realizations. He was in love with his partner. Now, as he lay stretched out above her, he was more aware of that fact than he had ever been. He looked down at her and seeing the look of confusion and worry on her face made him smile. Despite the shadow of a bruise across her cheek, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Before he could stop himself, he lowered his head and covered her lips with his. She gasped in surprise, and that gave him the opportunity to deepen the kiss. It only took her a moment to overcome her shock and then she began responding to his kiss.

Sydney had no idea what had prompted Gage to kiss her, but as soon as she realized what was happening, she began to kiss him back, knowing that this was something that she had been waiting for since she had met him. When she had first met Gage, she was immediately attracted to him. Over time, they grew closer, eventually becoming best friends. She had known for awhile now that she had fallen in love with him. Until a moment ago, she had never thought that he returned her feelings. Now, however, as she was lying on the ground in the middle of a clearing, being kissed by the man lying on top of her, she wasn't so sure.

When he finally pulled back from her, they were both breathless. After a moment of just staring into each other's eyes, Sydney broke the intense gaze and looked away self-consciously. She cleared her throat and then brought her eyes back up to meet his.

"So." She spoke hesitantly, and he gave her a small smile. "Why?"

"Why what?" he teased, knowing perfectly well what she was asking.

She smacked his shoulder, knowing exactly what he was doing. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Because you're safe." Gage leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across her lips before continuing, "Because you're beautiful." Another soft kiss. "Because I'm in love with you." Without giving her a chance to digest his words, he leaned down and initiated a much slower, deeper kiss. He was shocked when he pulled away from her to see the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "Syd, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Because I love you, too, you idiot." She smiled radiantly up at him as he brushed the tears gently from her cheeks.

"You do?" When she nodded, the smile that broke across his face was so brilliantly happy that she almost started laughing. She didn't have the chance to do anything though, because a second later he swooped down and took another kiss. When he pulled back this time, he rolled them both over so that she was lying on top of him, cradled once again in his arms. He looked away from Syd for a moment, catching a glimpse of the helicopter pilot kindly facing the opposite direction to give them some privacy. He chuckled and inclined his head in the direction of the pilot. "Much as I'm enjoying this, we probably should continue this later."

Sydney followed the direction of his gaze and noticed what he was chuckling about. The pilot was standing there, nervously shifting from foot to foot and occasionally glancing over his shoulder in their direction. She laughed as well and brushed a lock of his hair off of his forehead. "Yea, we probably should." She sighed in regret as he took his arms from around her waist, and she rolled off of him. She groaned quietly as her body protested the sudden movement as she stood.

"You okay?" he asked in concern as he also stood.

"Yea, you know you could have held back a bit more earlier. Some of those kicks hurt. I've got nice big bruises covering my side, and I'm sure my face is a mess," she teased, making sure that he knew that she was being sarcastic.

"Oh come on. Don't be such a wimp. Babies throwing tantrums hit harder than I was hitting," he replied as they walked towards the helicopter, hand in hand.

"Well then, I don't know what kind of babies you hang around with, and I don't think I want to know. I'm serious here, I'm gonna have some major aches and pains for the next week or so. And I'd recommend you show some sympathy, or I'd be happy to return the favor." Syd smiled as she jabbed an elbow into his side.

"How about this, I'll give you a massage every day until the bruises fade?" Gage suggested, imagining the advantages that could come from such an arrangement.

She looked at him somewhat speculatively for a moment, and he smiled sexily at her. She chuckled slightly at his hopeful expression. "Sounds good to me."

"Great. So, your place or mine tonight?" Gage asked, just as the two of them reached the helicopter. They both noticed the pilot, who had turned to face them as they approached, look away in shocked embarrassment.

Syd looked at Gage, communicating silently her mischievous intentions. "My place, and don't forget to bring another set of clothes this time, you can't keep showing up at work in the same clothes for days at a time. Oh, and I just got this new set of sheets, you're going to love them." She practically purred that last sentence, and the look in her eyes almost melted Gage.

"I'm sure I will, as long as you're between them." His voice was low and sexy and it was a tone she had never heard from him before. When he claimed her lips this time, the kiss was confident and possessive. Her knees weakened, and if not for his arm holding her tightly against his body, she would have been reduced to a puddle on the ground. When he pulled back from her she clung desperately to him, trying to catch her breath and regain her ability to stand on her own. Their little game they were playing for the benefit of the pilot had backfired and affected both of them far more than they had expected.

A nervous clearing of the throat from next to them broke them out of their dazed state. They smiled apologetically at the pilot and climbed into the back of the helicopter, holding hands and sitting as close as was physically possible. Syd rested her head against his shoulder and twined her fingers with his. Looking down at their joined hands, they were suddenly unable to tell which fingers were his and which were hers. With his other hand he tipped her head up slightly to gaze into her eyes. Reassured silently that they were both aware of exactly what this was the start of, they sealed their future with a kiss.

The End

* * *

Author's Note Part II: First of all, thanks for reading! Secondly, I'd like to ask for some help. The next one of these is for Showdown at Casa Diablo. It's one of the longest, and also one of the ones that I've put the most work into editing/rewriting. Since I have put extra effort into reworking it, I'd like to take it as far as I can, hence the favor.

I don't speak Spanish, and I've done my best with my closed captioning and my Spanish/English translator on my computer to figure out what they're saying in the episode. If anyone does speak Spanish and has access to the episode (on tape) or wants to watch it on USA on Friday the 25th at 11:00 am EST and tell me what they're saying I would really appreciate it. The two lines that confuse me most are what Maria says to Syd after Syd tells her it's not her fault, and what Cruz says to Ramon when he finds him drinking with Syd at the party.

Thanks for the help!


	6. Showdown at Casa Diablo

Author's Note: Hi all! Sorry, I meant to have this up by Monday, but I discovered some continuity issues that needed fixing. Again, I've changed some things from the episode around, but hopefully it should be pretty clear. So here it is: Showdown at Casa Diablo. It is by far the longest, and the one I've put the most time into reworking, so I hope you enjoy!

Oh and thank you so much to Kary G. and CandyRain for their assistance with the Spanish from the episode. I finally know that Maria wishes she could do more to help and Cruz accuses Ramon of being so drunk at the party. So thanks!

* * *

Showdown at Casa Diablo

"All right, we have received word of Cruz Ortega's demand. He will trade DA Moody, Alex Cahill, Marian Brentano, and Ranger Sydney Cooke for his brother Ramon. We have 24 hours to complete the exchange or the hostages will be killed."

Gage could feel a blinding rage threatening to overtake him as he listened to the demands of the man who had taken his partner hostage, the man who was currently threatening her life. He turned his attention back to FBI Assistant Director Westbrook, needing to know exactly what was being done to get his partner back.

"We've made arrangements for Ramon Ortega's release. To keep the Federales out of the picture, Cruz Ortega will contact us at the last possible moment as to where the exchange will take place."

"Cruz Ortega will not keep his word," Walker interrupted the federal agent. Gage knew that Walker had good instincts, especially in situations like this, but he would much rather have believed that it would be just that easy to get his partner returned to him.

"What reason would he have for keeping the hostages, Ranger Walker?" When Walker could not give him an answer, Westbrook turned his attention back to the others surrounding him. "We believe he will keep his word. Thank you, gentlemen."

* * *

At the agreed upon time for the exchange Gage was standing next to Trivette and Walker looking across the bridge at Cruz Ortega and his limousine, the limo that supposedly held his partner and the other hostages. He had to remind himself to stay still when everything in him was screaming for him to cross the bridge and reclaim his partner.

"Send my brother across," Cruz shouted.

"Send the hostages first," Westbrook insisted as Ortega's men started unloading his hostages from the limo.

Gage was barely able to hold himself in check as he saw how roughly the man handled his small partner as she was wrenched from the car. As Syd was able to raise her handcuffed wrists and lower the blindfold from her eyes, she looked across the bridge and made eye contact with him immediately. Through silent communication she let him know that she was okay.

"I'll send two now, and two after you send my brother," Ortega yelled as he let D.A. Moody and Marian Brentano across the bridge. "Now send my brother," he demanded once the two had made it to safety.

"Ok, let Ramon go." Westbrook gestured for the men holding Ramon to let him free.

Walker's arm shot out, holding Ramon Ortega back. "Not till Alex and Sydney come across."

"Walker, he will release them."

"Ramon's not leaving until Alex and Sydney come across," Walker insisted.

"And I'm telling you to back off Walker, I'm in charge here," Westbrook ordered, and Walker reluctantly let go.

Ramon ran across the bridge, embracing his brother where they met halfway. Cruz then turned and led his brother back to the limousine.

"Untie us, Ortega," Alex yelled.

"I'm sorry, I don't think so," he replied, quietly enough so only the two women could hear, before turning to face the men waiting on the other side of the bridge. "Hey Walker," he called as he approached Sydney. He then reached out and threaded his hand through her hair, yanking her to him. Gage's hands clenched at his sides as he watch Syd flinch away from his touch, feeling with horrifying certainty that he knew what was coming next.

"You want them, come get 'em," Ortega yelled, laughing as he pushed the two women back in the car.

Gage had his gun out before anyone could blink, noticing that Walker and Trivette were likewise prepared.

"Walker, get back here," Westbrook yelled as he noticed the three rangers ready to pursue the other man. When Walker and the other men stopped, he turned his attention back to Ortega. "Cruz. We had a deal," he yelled in vain.

As Ortega's limousine pulled away, his men swarmed in to form a barricade to prevent any pursuit. Walker, Trivette and Gage all stood, with their weapons aimed, staring at the limousine disappearing into the distance.

"Ortega told me to give you this," D.A. Moody said as he hesitantly approached Walker. "I'm sorry, Walker." Walker nodded slightly as he pulled his gun back, reaching to accept the tape the D.A. offered. He then turned and led Trivette, Gage, and Westbrook to the police van to see what Ortega had to say. He shoved the video tape into the VCR and hit play. Cruz Ortega appeared on the screen moments later.

"Ranger Walker, you have been the source of much trouble in my life, but now I think I can return the favor. My message to you is a simple one. If you want the lady ranger and your fiancé, Ms. Cahill... come get them. I promise, I will show you the same hospitality you showed my brother, Ramon."

The rage that had been building since the moment his partner had been taken was starting to get the better of Gage. "If I ever get my hands on him, I swear..." Gage left the threat unspoken, knowing Trivette and Walker would understand exactly what he was feeling.

"What are we gonna do?" Trivette asked, speaking to Walker and instead getting an imprudent response from Westbrook.

"The only solution to this problem is negotiation."

"Negotiation?" Walker asked as he approached the man. "Negotiate this," he breathed as he grabbed Westbrook by the throat, lifting him off his feet. "Come on, let me hear ya." He finally let him go, turning and leaving the van.

"You saw that, he assaulted a federal agent," Westbrook muttered as he finally regained the ability to speak.

"I didn't see anything," Trivette replied as he turned and followed his partner.

"Me either," Gage said, also turning to leave, knowing that he had been moments away from doing the same thing Walker had just done.

* * *

"Now you two make yourselves at home," Ramon said as he and his men led Alex and Sydney into a room with twin beds against the wall.

"How was jail, Ramon?" Syd asked as he handcuffed her to the headboard of one of the beds. "Too bad you didn't stay long enough to get acquainted."

He leaned in closer to her, invading her personal space. "You should be careful with that smart mouth of yours." He turned and gestured for his men to follow him. "Vamos."

As the three men left the room, Sydney turned to Alex. "What do you think the state department is going to do?"

"Negotiate. It's the only thing they know how to do," Alex replied with a hint of frustration in her voice.

"The only thing Walker's gonna negotiate is his way to Mexico." As she reassured her friend, Syd tested the handcuffs around her wrist. She would have to get out of them somehow if they were going to have any hope of escape. While it was true that Gage and Walker would be on their way soon, she wasn't about to sit around waiting if there was something she could do to get them out now. She looked more closely at the keyhole on her restraints before pulling the hairpin from the back of her hair and bending the pin to fit into the cuffs.

"Can you really do that?" Alex asked in curiosity.

"All you can do is try," Syd answered as she poked and prodded at the handcuff lock with her pin. "Oh no." She watched in dismay as the hairpin fell from her fingers to the floor. With a quick glance at the door, she climbed off of the bed, reaching with her free hand to try and find the pin. Before she had a chance to really begin her search, she heard the sound of someone approaching and quickly jumped back up on the bed. She had just gotten settled when Cruz and Ramon came into the room, carrying a bottle of liquor and a couple glasses.

"We have come to celebrate with the only two women in Casa Diablo who truly appreciate the significance of this moment," Cruz said as he poured himself and his brother a drink.

"Okay, what moment?" Sydney asked, willing to humor him for the time being.

"The powerful United States of America bent by the will of the Ortega's." Cruz laughed as he and his brother took a drink in toast.

"You better celebrate while you can," Alex muttered.

"I'm sure you're talking about your Ranger Walker coming to save his... woman," Cruz said as he leaned closer to her, burying his face in her hair.

"You can count on it."

"I am counting on it."

"I can't wait to get my hands on the famous Walker," Ramon Ortega interjected from across the room.

"Shh... Ramon, you must be patient." Cruz left Alex and walked towards his brother, putting his arm around his back. "Now, ladies, if you will excuse us, I have some catching up to do with my brother."

Sydney watched the two men leave, waiting until she was sure they were far enough away before she got back on the floor and started feeling around for her hairpin once more.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gage and Trivette were waiting anxiously outside of Commander Briscoe's office where Walker was finding out if he was allowed to go to Mexico. Gage was eager to get to his partner and was getting frustrated with all this waiting. He looked up as Walker came out of the office.

"Walker," Trivette called, stopping his partner so that they could talk to him. "I can see it in your eyes, we're going down there to get 'em out."

"I'm going alone."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute Walker. Sydney is my partner. I feel I have a right to go," Gage insisted. His partner needed him, and he wasn't going to let her down.

"Three have a better chance than one," Trivette pointed out logically.

"I said I'm going alone."

Gage watched Walker as he walked away, scarcely able to believe the other man's attitude. Alex wasn't the only one being held by the Ortega's. Sydney was down there with her, and if Walker thought that he wasn't going to be there when his own partner was rescued, he had another think coming. Gage turned to Trivette and was relieved to see that he seemed to be in full agreement; Walker was going to find himself with some unexpected company when he got to Mexico.

* * *

As soon as Cruz Ortega had returned to Casa Diablo with Ramon, he had sent out a group of his men to wait for Walker to show up and bring him in. After waiting all night with no sign of him, they were enjoying a relaxed morning cup of coffee.

"Walker would never come here to Mexico. The man would be crazy to try to rescue the women from Jefe Ortega."

"Señor Ortega says he's not a normal man. He will come. It'll be our necks if we don't capture him."

When Walker suddenly walked out from the trees and joined them around their campfire, it took them a moment to recover from their shock at his presence.

"Good morning guys, mind if I have some coffee?" Walker asked as he poured himself a cup before taking a seat next to them, casually sipping his coffee. "So, Ortega wants to kill me personally, huh?"

"That is so, Señor. You are muy loco to come here alone."

"Yea, that's why he didn't come alone," Trivette said as he stepped out from behind the trees.

"So are you gonna tell us where Ortega is?" Gage asked, coming around to the other side of the campfire.

"Or do we get to beat it out of you?" Trivette finished, getting his answer a moment later as Ortega's men quickly jumped to their feet and came at them.

Once all of the men were subdued, Walker turned to his two friends. "I thought I told you guys to stay out of this?"

"Did you hear him say that?" Trivette asked Gage while he poured some coffee from the pot on the campfire.

"I could have sworn I heard him say, 'I'll see you on the other side of the border.'" Gage answered innocently, reaching out for the coffee that Trivette had poured, pulling his hand back quickly as Walker accepted the cup.

A few minutes later, after tying up all of Ortega's unconscious men, they headed over to the old truck that was going to be their transportation.

"So, where do we go from here?" Gage asked when he saw Walker pull out a map.

"Reata. We'll get provisions there."

"You want me to drive?" Gage offered.

"Nope."

* * *

Sydney was up early that morning searching for her hairpin. She glanced under the bed; she was so close. She just had to reach a little bit farther and she'd be able to touch the it. Her arm was stretched painfully, and the handcuffs were digging into her wrist when, finally, she felt the pin under her fingertips. "Got it. Okay. Come on," she muttered as she twisted the pin in the lock. Before long she heard a click and pulled her wrist free from the cuffs.

"You did it. Oh my God," Alex said in disbelief, holding out her hand as Syd moved over to try and undo her handcuffs as well.

"Where there's a will there's a way," Syd muttered. She was so close to undoing Alex's cuffs when the door suddenly opened. She stood quickly and turned to face Ramon.

"Very good, Señorita. Now, tell me how you unlocked the handcuffs." Ramon pulled out his gun to emphasize his next words. "Or I will kill you."

Syd reluctantly handed him the hairpin.

"Very smart lady... Very sly." He reached a hand up to touch the side of her face, and she batted his hand away from her. "Lock her up again."

One of his men pushed her back against the bed, handcuffing her once again. Ramon turned to face a young woman who was standing hesitantly in the corner holding a tray of food. "Maria, make sure she has no more hairpins, then you can feed them." He walked over to Alex. "Your man Walker? He's probably already in our hands, trussed up like a pig waiting for delivery to Casa Diablo. By the time my brother gets through with him, his own mother won't recognize him." He laughed cruelly as he led his men out of the room, leaving the two women alone with Maria.

* * *

Gage sat between Walker and Trivette in the truck. They hadn't been driving for all that long, but already the silence was starting to get to Gage. It was not a comfortable silence, and it was leaving him way too much time to think about his partner. Too much time to worry. He sighed, needing desperately to break the silence.

"You know, I remember the first time I met Sydney, she had just become a Texas Ranger. First assignment as a ranger, she had to go undercover with me for nine months. She was tough, though." He smiled fondly. "She's a firecracker." Then, no longer able to distract himself from the thoughts of where they were headed and why, his anger returned full force. "I swear, if they have touched her..."

"Easy Gage," Trivette said, knowing his younger friend's feelings towards his partner ran just as strong and deep as Walker's feelings for Alex. He was going to have a hard time keeping his two friends from losing control on this trip, especially if either Sydney or Alex had been hurt. Quiet fell once again upon the cab of the truck, as the three men went back to worrying silently.

It wasn't long before the silence was broken as the truck's engine started to cough. They continued to drive the old truck for as long as they could but finally found themselves surrounded by a cloud of smoke as the engine sputtered to a stop.

"Well that's as far as this thing's going," Walker said as he pulled the dead truck to the side of the road. "Let's get out of here."

Gage coughed as he stepped out of the truck, slamming the door in frustration at the delay in getting to Sydney.

"We're lucky we made it this far. Let's check the town out," Walker suggested, not waiting for any acknowledgment from the other men before he started to walk away.

A few blocks from where they abandoned the truck, they found a group of horses tied up in a side alley.

"Seven horses," Walker said, thinking back to the men that they had left tied up around their campfire and knowing that Ortega would have sent more than just those few men after him.

"Ortega's men?" Trivette suggested, following Walker's line of thought.

"Oh yea, and I bet one of 'em's for me," Walker pointed out, knowing that Cruz Ortega wanted personal revenge on him for his arrest of Ramon.

"So what's our next move?" Gage asked. He hoped that it would not take them long to deal with the men, and they would be able to get to Casa Diablo soon.

Walker revealed his plan and they set the horses free, knowing that Ortega's men would come running when they saw their horses were loose. As soon as the men were all in the alley, Walker, Trivette, and Gage jumped out, taking advantage of the element of surprise. As he fought, Gage relished the opportunity to let some of his anger and worry out. They were hardly a challenge, which was a disappointment to him, but still it provided a good relief for some of his rage. Once the fight was over, they tied up Ortega's men, grabbed three of the horses, and rode off towards Casa Diablo.

* * *

After they had been riding for nearly two hours, Walker pulled up on his reins, letting the horse slow to a stop before sliding down out of his saddle. "Let's rest the horses."

Gage climbed down from his horse, groaning as he stretched. "Rest the horses? My butt's killin' me." He had a feeling that he was going to be very sore when this was all over. Of course, none of that would matter as long as Sydney was alright. While they had been riding, he had managed to focus on the early days of their partnership, remembering fondly what it was like getting to know his very lovely partner. As he stood next to Trivette, patting down his horse while his friend fiddled with his horse's saddle, it occurred to him to wonder about the beginning of Walker and Trivette's partnership. "Hey, Trivette?"

"Yea?"

"How'd you and Walker hook up?"

"Walker heard about my incredible arrest record; he begged the department to hire me on as his partner," Trivette responded, sarcasm heavy in his tone.

"Really?"

"Man, you know Walker, he never had a partner. He's always worked alone. My wonderful personality won him over."

"Really?"

"Gage, it took me weeks just to get him to talk to me," Trivette finally admitted.

"Walker? Come on, I don't believe that," Gage responded. Since he had known Walker, the man had never seemed to be that much of a loner.

"It's true. He's a tough nut to crack, but my wonderful personality finally won him over," Trivette repeated.

"Really?" Gage laughed, glad for the diversion Trivette had provided.

"Yes, really." Trivette sighed as he noticed his partner mounting his horse once again. It looked like the horses had been rested long enough, and they were getting under way once again.

* * *

With their last hope of escape having been stripped from them, Alex and Sydney were left with nothing to do but sit handcuffed to their beds and wait. While they were waiting, Alex had been thinking, and there really was a lot about her friend that she didn't know, and now seemed to be as good a time as any to find out. "You know, Sydney, I never asked you. Why'd you get into law enforcement?"

"Well... most of the girls when I was growing up were busy playing with their dolls and playing piano and... I just liked to read crime novels." Syd smiled as she remembered.

"And that's what made you become a Ranger?" Alex asked with a hint of disbelief in her tone, wondering if that was her sole reason for her career choice.

"Well, that's part of it. When I was twelve, my..." Syd stopped speaking as the door opened, and Cruz and Maria walked into the room.

"I've decided to allow you a little break, give yourselves a chance to freshen up." He tossed the keys to one of his men who then started to uncuff Sydney. "One at a time of course. Maria here will accompany you. If you try anything, Ms. Cahill here will suffer for it." Sydney nodded her understanding and followed Maria into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, after she had freshened up and splashed some water on her face, she opened the bathroom door and was confronted with the sight of Cruz Ortega kissing a struggling Alex. "Hey. Get off of her!" she yelled as she jumped over the bed and ripped him off of her friend. She blocked his arm with her own when he attempted to hit her. "You touch her one more time and I'll rip your head off."

Cruz sneered as he glared at her. "You talk like a man, do you fight like one too?"

"Maybe you'll find out someday," she responded. He turned from her and she relaxed slightly, checking on Alex. She didn't see him spin and only felt his arm as it cracked across her face, his momentum sending her flying onto the bed behind her. He followed and grabbed her by the neck, moving her to a sitting position and shoving her head back against the headboard of the bed.

"That... is for having a smart mouth." He fastened her handcuffs once again, making them tighter this time. "You better pray that that day doesn't come. Entiendes?" he asked, not waiting for a response before he stood and left the room, followed by his men and Maria.

"Sydney. Are you alright?" Alex asked, concerned by all the blood she saw on her friend's face.

"Yea," she mumbled through the hand she had pressed to her bleeding lip.

"I'm so sorry." Alex sighed, knowing that it had been in her defense that her friend had been hurt.

Syd shook her head, letting Alex know that it hadn't been her fault as she wiped some of the blood off of her lip. She hoped that Gage would get there soon. She knew that he and Walker, and probably Trivette also, were on their way, but as she moved her aching jaw, she sent a silent plea for them to hurry.

* * *

"Whoa. Whoa," Walker said, pulling his horse to a stop before taking out the map once again. "Ok, Rancho Santa Rosa is about three miles from here, we'll water the horses there. Our next stop, Casa Diablo. Let's go." Walker kicked his horse, leading them towards Casa Diablo and the Ortega's. As they headed out, Gage suddenly felt a wave of worry sweep through him and dug his heels a little deeper into his horse's sides, needing to get there as quickly as possible.

It was with great relief then, that Gage noticed more of Ortega's men waiting for them a little while later, waiting for them in two jeeps. He felt relief for the increased speed the jeep would afford them and for the alleviation of the pain in his backside that would come from getting off of his horse. He was careful when he and Trivette took out the men in the one car that it would still be drivable after the men fell unconscious. They had only to dump the inert forms of Ortega's underlings and pick up Walker before they were speeding their way towards Casa Diablo.

* * *

"Don't touch it," Alex said to Sydney as her friend reached her hand once again to her still bleeding lip.

"Señor Ortega sent me to tend to you," Maria said as she walked in with some first aid supplies.

Alex sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness."

Maria moved to sit on the bed in front of Syd, starting to clean her split lip. "I'm so sorry, Señorita."

"No es tu culpa," Syd said hoping to reassure the young girl that it was not her fault.

"Pero, ojalá pudiera hacer más..." Maria responded, expressing her wish to have been able to do more.

"Gracias."

Alex looked at them in confusion, trying to figure out what they were saying. When Sydney noticed this, she switched to English. "How did you come to work here?"

"Señor Ortega came to my village. He saw me and he... he wanted me. My father tried to stop him, but Señor Ortega killed him," Maria explained, close to tears.

Sydney wanted to do or say something to comfort her but realized that the best thing she could do for her would be to find a way to get all three of them out of Casa Diablo, as soon as possible.

When Maria was finished tending to Sydney's lip she quickly left the room, not wanting to anger either of the Ortega brothers. Alex and Sydney were left alone with nothing to do but hope that Walker and Gage would be there soon.

Almost two hours later, Cruz and Ramon were back with Maria, two dresses and matching shoes. "Ladies, we're having a celebration. Guests from your country."

"As you can see the drug business is not all business," Ramon added as he gestured to the dresses the young girl was holding.

Cruz grabbed one of the dresses and held it out to Sydney. "And you two will be accompanying us."

"You've gotta be kidding me," she said incredulously, looking at the short black dress.

"You know from past experience that I am a very serious man," Cruz replied ominously, and Syd hesitantly took the dress.

"When Paco brings Walker in, we want you to look your best when my brother kills him."

"I thought you said he was dead," Alex responded, to Sydney's surprise. She hadn't known that Cruz had said that.

Cruz grabbed the other dress. "I lied. You know, to keep things, interesting." Alex took the dress, and he backed away. "Now, get dressed. Maria will help you. If you two try anything else, things will go very badly for you. Pepe uncuff them." Pepe obediently came over and unfastened the handcuffs before turning and following Cruz and Ramon out of the room.

* * *

Gage hopped out of the jeep as Walker pulled it to a stop, looking at Casa Diablo in front of him. They walked around the edge of the property to get a better view and could see that the Ortegas were having a party. They spotted several known drug dealers in attendance and figured that Cruz was mixing business with pleasure.

Gage scanned the crowd and finally spotted Sydney. She was sitting stiffly next to Alex as Cruz Ortega breathed smoke in their direction. Through the flowers on the table, all that he could see was that his partner was obviously not wearing the same blue shirt that she had been wearing the last time he had seen her. From what he could see, her shoulder's were bare. He knew that even Cruz Ortega would not make a woman sit in the middle of a party naked, however, it was how her clothes had been changed that worried him.

He sent up a prayer that no one had touched her. He knew of course that she was a very beautiful woman. He wasn't, after all, blind. Unfortunately neither were the Ortegas, meaning that there was a very real threat that one of them would try something with her. He swore then and there that if anyone had hurt her, he would kill them.

Syd turned from Alex and Cruz and looked off into the distance, knowing that Gage and Walker would be coming for them. She froze for a second, looking at one particular set of bushes, but before she could figure out what it was that had drawn her attention to them, one of Ortega's men came up to the table. She stiffened as he placed his arms on the back of her chair before leaning over and speaking into her ear.

"Ramon wants to see you. Let's go."

She pulled away from his hand as he touched her shoulder and stood, reluctantly turning to follow. She shifted from his touch as he placed his hand on her back to try to guide her. Gage often rested his hand against the small of her back as they walked, and with him she'd always found it reassuring. Now, she couldn't stand the thought of this man touching her the same way. She was actually relieved as he moved his hand, reaching to grab tightly to her arm, dragging her away to an isolated table.

Gage was shocked when he saw Syd look right at him. He wondered if she could see him, or if she just sensed that he was there. He moved slightly, hoping that she would see the movement and know that he was in fact there to help her.

He tensed as a man came up behind her, whispering something in her ear. He watched her stand, relieved that what they had dressed her in wasn't completely revealing, as the man roughly grabbed onto her arm and dragged her away and out of his sight.

He was actually starting to stand without even realizing it when he felt the gentle pressure of Trivette's hand against his shoulder. He knew Jimmy was right, there was nothing he could do now. There were too many people around for the party; they would have to wait until the it was over. He kept his eyes fixed on Syd, watching as she was led over to a small table where Ramon Ortega waited for her.

As Syd approached the table she was led to, she wondered what it was Ramon wanted from her and whether he would make any mistakes that she could exploit.

He smirked when he saw her. "Join me. Please."

She moved around the chair and sat down, watching Ramon signal for his man to leave.

"You handle yourself like a man, do you drink like one?" he asked, gesturing to a bottle of alcohol on the table.

In a normal situation, that comment would have disturbed her, but now she realized that it was to her advantage if he looked at her as more of a man than a woman. "I do," she said and sniffed loudly. "Do you?"

"Salud." He threw back a shot of the alcohol, Sydney following his example.

* * *

Once it was dark Gage, Walker, and Trivette were able to move even closer. They watched as Cruz got close to Alex, whispering something to her, before leaning in even closer and trying to kiss her. Gage turned his attention to Walker, noticing the stony expression on his face and knowing exactly how he felt.

Now that he had the cover of darkness, Gage decided to take the risk. He left his friends and moved even closer to where Syd was still at a table alone with Ramon. The man was obviously very drunk and was approaching her with a bottle of alcohol clutched tightly in his hand. Gage watched as she took the bottle, pouring two shots and watching as Ramon drank his before dumping hers into the plant at the center of the table and pretending to swallow the shot.

He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. His partner was always thinking, and could usually find a way out of a jam on the spur of the moment. He noticed Cruz storming angrily over towards the two and backed up slightly to where Walker and Trivette were waiting, still able to watch what was happening but further out of sight.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Cruz yelled as he approached his brother, pulling him around to face him.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Ramon replied stupidly.

"Estás bien borracho sabes," Cruz yelled angrily, although it was clear that his brother knew very well that he was drunk and had fully intended to be so.

"And you're not? That's the problem with my brother, he doesn't know how to have a good time," Ramon said to Sydney, gesturing drunkenly to his angry brother standing beside him.

"You're very clever, but remember tomorrow is another day," Cruz threatened, having figured out what she was trying to do.

"Look, you worry too much, this Walker is probably already dead. Have a drink." Ramon held out the bottle of alcohol, offering it to his brother.

Cruz grabbed the bottle from Ramon's hand and threw it on the ground before stalking away.

Meanwhile, Walker watched as Alex was approached again, this time by Jack Palermo. Now it was Walker who needed Trivette's restraining hand against his shoulder as the man slipped his hands down between Alex's thighs. She screamed and pulled back, standing up as she slapped him. He stood and hit her across the face. Not a moment later, Cruz Ortega stormed up and hit Palermo before sticking a knife into his gut and killing him.

"The party's over, go home!" Cruz yelled to everyone around them.

Walker, Trivette, and Gage overheard Ortega say that he was placing extra guards around the house for the night and knew that they would have to wait till morning to attempt any sort of rescue.

* * *

The next morning Gage quietly took out as many of the guards as he could without alerting anyone to their presence. Following Walker's plan, they took out the men in front of the weapons shed, planning to use the explosives as a distraction to allow them to escape. Walker set the dynamite on a time delayed fuse, giving them time to get in closer to where the Sydney and Alex were being held before the shed exploded.

* * *

Syd slept lightly, stretched out on the bed with both her arms chained to the headboard, still wearing the skimpy dress that Ortega had given to her. She woke as the door opened, and a very angry Ramon entered.

"You look like hell, Ramon," she taunted him, while trying to shift, knowing that she was in a very vulnerable position.

"Very clever last night, but the time for games is over," he replied as he sat down next to her on the bed.

"You touch her, you're a dead man," Alex said desperately, having seen the wild look in his eyes. She flinched as one of his men came up behind her and pressed a gun into her back.

"No, I intend to do more than touch her," Ramon said as he placed his right hand high on her thigh and his left just above her breast. "Pepe, take Ms. Cahill for a walk. The lady ranger here needs to be taught a lesson."

Pepe smirked as he opened Alex's handcuffs and led her at gunpoint out of the room.

* * *

Gage snuck quietly around the corner of the house, pausing when he heard voices. He stepped back, watching one of Ortega's men lead a struggling Alex away at gunpoint. He was about to move forward to help, when he heard a sound that sent a surge of cold fear through him. Sydney was screaming. He moved forward without thought, holding his weapon in front of him as he entered the house.

He tried the door handle to the room where he could hear Sydney, but the door was locked. Knowing that it could mean Sydney's life if he alerted her attacker to his presence too soon, he took the time to pick the lock rather than simply kicking the door down like he wanted to. Sydney's shouting provided a good cover for the sound of the creaking hinges as the door swung open.

When Gage stepped into the room he had a sudden understanding of what it meant to see red. There was his partner, with her arms handcuffed to the headboard of a bed and one of the straps to her dress ripped, struggling with all her might against Ramon Ortega, whose left hand was roughly handling her breasts and whose right hand was somewhere underneath her dress. His response was primal. He didn't think. He simply acted. He dropped his gun, shouted in animalistic rage, and tackled Ramon off of his partner.

* * *

Sydney was just about to give up hope. She had tried fighting Ramon off, but in her position was unable to. She had actually resorted to screaming, hoping that Gage would be nearby and hear her. She knew that it wasn't very likely, but at that moment, her partner was her only hope.

She held back her tears as Ramon roughly handled her, not willing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. As he ripped her dress, exposing more of her chest to his gaze, she turned her head away from him, unable to take seeing the pleasure and crazed power in his expression. She closed her eyes tightly as his hand wandered further underneath her dress. She only opened them again when she got the feeling that someone else was watching her.

When she saw her partner standing in the doorway, she felt such relief it was unbelievable. At the same time, she also felt some shame. She had been unable to fight off this man, and now she needed him to rescue her. As she looked closer at him, her shame vanished and her relief changed to shock. She had never seen that look on his face. The rage was unmistakable, and she shivered as she saw murder in his eyes.

She didn't have a chance to think about it more as he dropped his gun, roared, and charged towards her. Seconds later the unwelcome weight of Ramon Ortega was lifted off of her as Gage tackled him to the ground. She turned, needing to watch out for her partner, even if there wasn't much she could do for him.

After landing on top of Ramon on the floor next to the bed, Gage pulled back, giving himself the leverage he needed to start pummeling Ramon who lay stunned beneath him. He then pulled back, grabbing the other man by the throat and slamming him into the wall. He kept his furious gaze fixed on the other man's bruised and bleeding face as he cut off his air supply.

From her place on the bed, Syd watched as Ramon fell unconscious and was shocked when her partner didn't let him go. "Gage," she tried to get his attention, but he was too focused on the man in front of him to hear her. "Gage!" she yelled, and this time he turned, but still did not let go of Ramon. "You're going to kill him. Gage, he's not worth it." She spoke calmly, hoping that she would be able to get through to him in time.

She saw him blink then turn his head to the man he had pinned to the wall. He pulled his hand back, letting Ramon fall in a heap on the floor. He shook his head, clearing the rage from his mind and turned to face Syd once again. He moved quickly forward, throwing himself onto the bed beside her and pulling her gently into his arms.

As Sydney felt her partner's arms close around her, she sighed in relief. Finally feeling safe, she let the tears she had been fighting slide silently down her cheeks. Whenever she was in his arms she felt safe, secure, warm, and loved. She trusted him with her life, and more importantly, she trusted him with her heart. She knew that he would not judge her for her tears, and that it would not lessen his respect for her in any way. So she let the tears of fear, the tears of pain, and the tears of relief fall.

He held her tightly to him for a few minutes before pulling back slightly from her to see her face. His heart broke as he saw the tears coursing silently down her cheeks. He lifted his hand up to her face, brushing his thumb gently against her bloody lip. "Are you alright, Syd?" he whispered, desperately searching her eyes for any hint of pain.

"I am now."

"Did he..." He was unable to complete his question, scared to death that she was going to tell him he hadn't gotten there in time.

"No, Gage. He didn't rape me."

"Oh thank God," he breathed in relief as he rested his forehead against hers. "I was so scared, when I heard you scream, and then when I walked in here and saw him... touching you. I was so scared I was too late."

"I'm alright Gage. I promise. You got here just in time." She smiled gently at him, slightly surprised at the depth of emotion he was showing her. "So, partner, is there any chance you've got a pair of handcuff keys on you?" She smiled, adding a teasing note to her words to reassure him once again that she was okay.

"Um, no," Gage answered as he pulled back from her completely, looking up at her bruised and bleeding wrists, wishing for the thousandth time that he could have prevented this from happening to her. "But I bet I know someone who does."

Gage hopped off the bed and over to where Ramon was starting to moan. He placed a quick kick to his ribs which was enough to quiet him and then searched his pockets for the keys. He found them and quickly unfastened the handcuffs for her, taking them and slapping them on Ramon's wrists instead.

When he turned back to her she was stretching her arms, trying to restore circulation to the abused limbs. That was the first time he noticed just how much of her was showing. Ramon had pushed her dress up so that it was around her hips, revealing the entire length of her slim legs to his view. The dress was ripped, and was hanging down on one side, revealing part of her lacy bra. He noticed at exactly the same moment as she did exactly what it was he was staring at and ripped his eyes away, turning slightly away from her as he blushed. She felt herself flush as well, reaching down to smooth the dress down over her thighs and then holding the top of the dress to her.

He shrugged out of his shirt, glad that he had decided to wear a long-sleeved shirt over his t-shirt. "Here, Syd. Take my shirt."

"Thanks, Gage." Syd smiled sweetly up at him, and he thanked God once again that she had not been taken from him. He turned away from her once again to give her some privacy, and she quickly wrapped his shirt around her. The feel of the warm flannel surrounding her was almost as good as being in his arms. As she buttoned the shirt, she took a deep breath, smelling the scent that was uniquely Gage that surrounded her.

Without telling him she was finished putting the shirt on, Sydney took a moment to just look at him. Without his outer shirt, all he was wearing was a tight t-shirt that clung nicely to his muscular back. She could tell by his stance that he was still uptight and worried about her. Her musings were cut short, and she looked up in shock as she heard, and felt, an explosion nearby.

"And that's our cue to get out of here," Gage said as he turned and reached for her hand, helping her up off the bed. "You head out, I'll follow in a minute." She looked at him in confusion before he gestured towards Ramon.

She nodded and left the room, and Gage once again turned his attention to the man on the floor. He walked over to him and roughly pulled him to his feet, starting to lead the barely conscious man out of the room. "You're a very lucky man. If you had hurt her, I wouldn't have thought twice about killing you," Gage stated quietly. As he stepped outside, he shoved Ramon in front of him, looking around for Syd. Not seeing her, he headed towards the sounds of fighting.

He hadn't gotten far when he came upon two of Ortega's men. He shoved Ramon to the ground and knocked the men down. A few well aimed kicks later and they were out cold. However, the noise of the fight had brought another man running. After trying unsuccessfully to take Gage down through a series of blows, he reached in his belt and drew his gun. Gage reacted quickly, spinning and kicking his gun hand just as the shot was fired. Once unarmed, the man was little threat, and soon joined his friends facedown in the grass.

Seeing that he was now in no immediate danger, Gage turned to where he had left Ramon. He felt a grim satisfaction when he realized that the man was dead, hit by the bullet Gage had diverted, inadvertently killed by his own man. After checking for a pulse, just to be sure the bastard was dead, Gage turned and headed back the way he had come, looking once again for his partner.

* * *

After she stepped outside, Syd quickly headed around the corner as she heard someone approaching. She ducked behind a bush as Pepe came walking along the side of the building, pulling Alex along behind him. She watched Gage push their prisoner out of the door in front of him, look around and start walking in the other direction. Pepe came around the corner, saw Gage heading away from him, and raised his gun.

Syd leapt out from behind the bush and kicked the gun from his hand. He turned in surprise and came after her. She ducked under his clumsy punch before delivering several of her own. Although she was focused on her own fight, she was aware of Alex taking out another of Ortega's men with a piece of metal she had grabbed from the garage. It wasn't long before she knocked Pepe to the ground where he was able to pick up the gun she had kicked from his hand. As he raised the weapon and took aim, Syd rolled quickly and grabbed the gun that Ortega's other man had dropped when Alex had struck him. She raised to her knees and shot Pepe once in the chest.

The noise brought Cruz running, and he came up behind Sydney, cracking his gun into the back of her neck. She turned to face him from where she fell on the ground, seeing his angry expression as well as the gun he held pointed at her.

"Now, you're going to die. Slowly, first the leg, then-" Cruz was cut off as Alex slammed the piece of metal into his back. He shoved her away from him and leveled the gun at Sydney's chest.

Gage, who had also heard the sound of her gunshot, came running and once again tackled a man away from his partner. He saw Walker approaching and stepped back, knowing that this was Walker's fight. Gage helped Syd up and led her further away from the fight, focusing all his attention on his partner. She was rubbing at the back of her neck, and he reached out and gently brushed her hair to the side to look at what was hurting her. There was already the shadow of a bruise forming, and he felt rage rise within him once again. He was satisfied, however, as he saw Walker spin and throw Ortega's own knife into his chest, killing him almost instantly.

He turned his attention back to Sydney. "I'm so glad you're alright. Does that hurt?" he gestured to her lip once again.

"Ah, just a little bit." She sighed as she rubbed at her still sore neck. "You know you could have gotten here a little sooner."

"What?" he asked in fake disbelief, pleased that she was teasing him.

"Yea, like before he cracked me in the back maybe?" she teased, surprised as she saw a little bit of guilt show up in his eyes.

"How about this, I'll give you a back massage to make it up to you? Sound fair?" he offered as he reached for her, gently placing his hand against the small of her back and leading her over to where Walker and Alex were talking to Maria. The young woman turned and ran away, passing Trivette on his way to meet them.

"Hey, alright?" Trivette asked as he looked around at the dead bodies. Then he turned and faced Walker once again. "How we gettin' out of here?"

"Ortega's helicopter."

"What? You still know how to fly those things?"

"Well, I'm not really sure, you want to fly it?" Walker asked as he put his arm around his fiancé's shoulders.

"No, no, no, no, no," Trivette replied emphatically.

"Well it's better than walking home." Walker grinned and led the way to the helicopter.

As they started to walk away, Syd turned to her partner. "Hey, Gage. Where's Ramon?"

"Dead," Gage replied, an expression of dark contentment on his face.

Syd grabbed onto his arm, pulling him to a stop and turning him to face her. "Gage, you didn't..."

He saw her distress and put his arm around her, eager to soothe her. "As much as I wanted to, and as much as I would have... No, he got in the way of a stray bullet."

She sighed in relief and wrapped her arm around his waist as they started forward to catch up with their friends.

* * *

Once everyone was settled into the helicopter, Gage turned to look at his partner sitting beside him. It was obvious that she was exhausted. He reached out and took her hand in his, before taking his other hand and gently tipping her head so that it rested against his shoulder. She smiled up at him sweetly, and he felt his heart stop. She nestled up against him and closed her eyes, and within a minute she was asleep.

He loved that she trusted him enough to fall asleep on his shoulder, especially after what she had just been through. He was having trouble dealing with what had almost happened to her, and he hadn't even been the one to live through it. Reassuring himself that she was in fact safe, he dropped his head gently down to rest against hers and allowed his eyes to close.

* * *

Five o'clock that evening, Sydney was finally settled back in her apartment. After the helicopter ride, they had all gone into Ranger Headquarters to fill out their reports. Once they had finished, Commander Briscoe had given them all the rest of the day off and arranged rides home for all of them. After they had dropped her off at her apartment, Sydney had immediately taken a long, hot shower, trying to erase the feel of Ramon's hands from her body. She cleaned up her split lip and bandaged her bleeding wrists. Then she had gotten dressed in a comfortable pair of shorts and had put Gage's shirt on once again.

Now she was trying to figure out what to have for dinner. She paused in her search of the refrigerator as she heard the doorbell ring. She walked over and looked through the peephole, seeing Gage on the other side. She opened the door and noticed that he had also showered and changed and, most importantly, was carrying a bag of takeout from her favorite restaurant.

"Hey, Syd. Can I come in?" he asked, relieved to see that she looked much better than she had earlier.

"Gage, anyone bearing food right now is welcome." She smiled as she stepped back, opening the door fully for him to enter. She only realized what she was wearing as his gaze focused on her shirt, or, more accurately, his. She blushed slightly and decided that unless he asked, she was just going to ignore the fact that she had changed back into his t-shirt after she had showered. "That is food right? It's not just the bag or something?"

"Yea, it's food." Gage smiled as he shook his head slightly. He would have to figure out later why she was still wearing his shirt, but for now, he would just enjoy it. She was always beautiful, no matter what she was wearing, but in his opinion, he had never seen her look more breathtaking than she did at that moment.

Her hair was down and slightly wavy, her face make-up free, her feet were bare, and he could just barely see the bottoms of a pair of shorts peaking out from underneath his shirt that was hanging loosely off of her. The one side of the shirt had slipped, leaving her shoulder bare to his gaze. The temptation to lean over and place a kiss on that spot was strong, and it took every ounce of willpower he had at that moment to ignore the urge. Instead he followed her into her kitchen and helped her to dish out the food that he had brought.

"So, Gage. Other than the food, which was a really good idea, by the way, was there any particular reason you came by tonight?" Syd asked, being careful not to look at him in case he could read the response she desired in her eyes.

He almost told her the truth, that he had been so worried about her the past couple days and so scared earlier that he couldn't have handled not being able to see for himself that she really was alright. He almost told her that it was because he could never completely relax when she wasn't around because he worried about her. He almost told her that it was because he was never really happy unless he was with her. He almost told her that it was because he loved her. But he didn't. "I believe I promised you a back rub." He smiled at her, hoping that his true feelings weren't apparent.

"That you did." She sighed, happy that he was there. Still she had hoped to hear that he had come to see her because he was worried about her, that he had come to see her because he loved her, as much as she loved him. She knew that that was too much to hope for, that he didn't love her like she loved him. The only problem was that she had fallen so totally and completely in love with him that it was almost painful to be around him and not be able to kiss him, or touch him, or confess her love to him. Still, she had to be grateful for his friendship. He had become the best friend she had ever had, and she wouldn't give that up for anything.

Most of their dinner was spent in a comfortable silence, broken occasionally for pleasant chit chat. After dinner he helped her with the clean up, and, as was fairly typical of them, they got into a water fight. Syd managed to escape relatively unscathed, but Gage wasn't as fortunate. He shook the extra water off of his hair while Syd laughed hysterically at him. However, when he looked down at his drenched t-shirt, her eyes followed his gaze and her laughter stopped suddenly. His t-shirt was plastered to his body, conforming to his muscles, and even mapping out his six-pack. She watched as he reached down and pulled the shirt up and over his head, leaving him standing before her naked from the waist up. She almost stopped breathing.

"Hey, Syd? Mind if I throw this in your dryer for a couple minutes?" Gage asked as he turned his attention back to his partner, shocked to see her staring openmouthed at his chest. She blushed when she realized she'd been caught and without saying a word grabbed his shirt and practically ran out of the room, leaving a smiling Gage behind.

* * *

When she returned to the kitchen a couple minutes later she found Gage finishing wiping up the water left from their battle. "You know, you didn't have to do that," she said as she walked up to him.

He shrugged and looked back at her. "I figured, you're the one who was held hostage, so for at least tonight, you shouldn't have to do the cleanup."

"Thanks, Gage. Now, I believe you mentioned something about a back rub?" She smiled pleadingly up at him.

"Indeed I did. Now, I want your promise that you're not going to smack me when I make this suggestion," Gage said as he held up his hands to her, noticing her eyes narrowing a little as she nodded for him to continue. "I think you'd be most comfortable if we did this on your bed, so you can lay down." He closed his eyes in anticipation of an attack, and when it never came he opened his eyes hesitantly.

"Sounds good to me." She smiled and turned to walk into her room, looking over her shoulder to see if he was following. It took him a moment but he shook off his shock and followed after her. He watched her lay down on her bed, her head turned so she could look at him. "So do I get a back rub or not?" She teased, understanding perfectly well why he was hesitating. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. He was still shirtless and he was about to give her a massage on her bed.

Gage shook himself again and sat down on the bed beside her. He reached out and started to gently rub his hands over her back. He touched her fairly often in their day to day contact, but this was a more intimate touch than was normal for them. She sighed at the feel of his warm hands moving softly across her back. Taking that as a sign of encouragement, he added a little more pressure to the touch, beginning to softly massage her tense muscles. In order to get a better angle he swung his leg over her body, straddling her back before resuming the massage.

"Hey, Syd?"

"Yea?" she sighed, the feel of his hands caressing her making her boneless.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Why are you still wearing my shirt?" She was silent for a moment, and he feared that he had made her uncomfortable. He was about to tell her to forget he asked when she answered him quietly.

"It makes me feel safe," she mumbled, hoping that she wasn't revealing too much.

His hands stilled for a minute on her back as he digested what she had just admitted before he resumed the massage. "Um, why exactly is that?"

"Because it's yours and it smells like you," she admitted, knowing that she couldn't lie to him.

Not knowing how to respond to that at that moment, he decided to pass it off as a joke. "It's not my fault I was sweating, Walker's the one that made us ride the horses."

Syd chuckled, knowing that he knew exactly what she had meant and that his teasing was his way of dealing with it.

"It's not funny, Syd. My butt's still killing me," Gage whined, while he ran his hands gently over the bruise at the base of her neck.

She laughed but found herself unable to prevent her mind from wandering to thoughts of just how gorgeous that particular part of his body was.

Gage flinched as she flinched when his fingers pressed into a particularly painful bruise. "Sorry," he said, lightening his touch.

"S'okay. Feels nice."

"Syd, other than what I saw... did Ramon... did he touch you?" He felt her tense beneath him and immediately regretted his question, but still needed to know.

"No... what you saw was pretty much it."

"Pretty much?" Gage caught the phrasing, getting worried that the bastard had hurt her worse than he thought.

"Other than what you saw, he just spent a lot of time touching my legs, and my stomach some. He was kissing my neck some too. God, the feel of his lips on my skin made me want to throw up. Still that wasn't the worst." She sighed, having noticed that his hands had stilled on her back as she was talking. She looked up at him in curiosity and saw him struggling for control of his anger.

"What was the worst?" He was afraid to ask, but he had to know.

"The look in his eyes; it was horrible. They were so dark, so angry, and he was enjoying my struggling, I could see it. And there was nothing I could do to stop him." She could hardly force the words out of her mouth, not wanting to even think about what would have happened if Gage hadn't come when he did.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he whispered, not even noticing the endearment as it slipped out, starting his massage again.

She chose to ignore the fact that he had just called her sweetheart for the moment in favor of finding out exactly what he meant by apologizing to her. "What for?"

"That you had to go through that, that I didn't get there in time to keep that from happening to you."

"Gage, you got there as soon as you could, and you saved me. If you hadn't come in exactly when you did, he would have raped me and then probably killed me," she said, knowing that her blunt phrasing was the cause of the stiffening of his body above her. "Gage, you have never let me down. Whenever I need you, you're there. Whenever I'm in trouble I know that I can count on you to save me. While Ramon was... attacking... me, just thinking about you gave me the hope I needed to get through it."

"But still..." he protested, loving her faith in him but unable to completely let go of his feeling of guilt.

"No buts. Now, come on, I was just starting to relax, and then my masseur got feeling all guilty on me."

"Okay, okay, I get it. No more guilt, just massage."

"Good. Now, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, Syd."

"Are you aware of the fact that you just called me 'sweetheart' a minute ago?" She watched him as he blushed and knew the answer to her question.

"I did?" he asked hesitantly, watching her nod her head slightly. "I'm sorry, Syd, I just wasn't thinking."

"Don't be. Actually, I kinda liked it," she admitted softly.

"You did?"

"Mm... hm... Made me feel special and..." Her voice trailed off as she realized what she was about to say.

"And?" he prompted her to continue.

"Beautiful."

"Anything else?" he asked gently.

"Loved," she whispered so quietly he almost didn't catch it.

"Okay, well let's see about this. Special. You're definitely special. You're the most amazing woman I've ever met. You're so kind, caring, giving, and intelligent, and you're also so incredibly strong. Not just physically, you're strong emotionally as well. Yea, I'd say you're special. Beautiful. I don't think that one needs any explanation, other than to say that you are the most beautiful woman I've ever met, inside and out. And finally, loved. I can't speak for anyone else, but, sweetheart, if I'm the only one who loves you, then you're still the most loved woman in the world." Gage sighed as he finished pouring his heart out to her. He didn't care if she couldn't return his feelings, he had come too close to losing her to hesitate in confessing his love.

As Syd listened to him speaking, tears of happiness formed in her eyes. Once he finished she rolled over onto her back underneath him, needing to see his face. He was straddling her hips, shirtless, and gazing down at her with such love shining in his ice-blue eyes that it took her breath away.

"You love me?" she asked with a hint of awe in her voice.

"More than life itself," he answered simply, feeling his heart stop in his chest as she smiled up at him. The smile on her face was one that he had never seen before. It was so soft, so sweet, and so full of what he could only hope was love.

"I love you, too. More than life itself," she confessed, seeing the joyous smile spread across his face at her words. He lowered himself down closer to her, supporting his weight on his arms, and kissed her.

She reached her arms up and twined them around his neck, pulling him even closer to her as she parted her lips, inviting him to deepen the kiss. He accepted the invitation and his smooth tongue slowly explored her mouth, tangling with her own in the sweetest dance. She ran her hands over the warm, smooth skin of his shoulders and back while they kissed, causing him to moan slightly into her mouth. Their first kiss was perfect, loving and tender, but still conveying the desperate longing they had held for each other for such a long time. They reluctantly pulled apart only when it finally became necessary for them to breathe.

After they had separated, Gage opened his eyes to gaze down at the woman he loved more than anything, the woman he would love forever. He was shocked as he realized the truth to his thoughts. He was going to be in love with Sydney Cooke forever. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted to have children with her. He wanted her to be his wife. He started to imagine how he would ask her to marry him, amazed at the thoughts going through his head. Was he actually thinking about asking her to... "Marry me?" he murmured quietly as he peppered gentle kisses against her throat and over to her shoulder. He didn't even realize that he had actually said the words out loud until she answered him.

"Of course, I'll marry you," Syd sighed, brushing the hair back gently from his face as she gazed up at the man of her dreams.

"You will?" he asked in shock, sure he had to have heard wrong.

"Of course, you idiot." Syd laughed as she playfully slapped his arm. "I mean, isn't that why you decided to ask? You already knew what my answer would be?" she asked as she looked up at him, curious what exactly the expression on his face was supposed to mean.

"Actually, I didn't even mean to say the words out loud." He blushed slightly at the admission.

"You didn't mean to?" she asked, feeling her heart sink as all her hopes seemed to shatter around her.

"Oh, no, Syd. I want you to marry me more than I've ever wanted anything. I just didn't think that I should ask you when we've never even been on a date. I mean, we just had our first kiss!" Gage pointed out, relieved that the hurt had faded from her eyes.

"I guess you do have a point. But at least from my end, I've been in love with you for quite a while longer than just tonight, so it doesn't seem like that much of a rush to me. I love you, I want to be with you, hopefully for the rest of my life, I want you to be my husband. As long as that's what you want, that is." She ducked her head shyly.

"More than anything," he promised as he tipped her face up to look at him. "More than anything," he whispered again before leaning down to kiss her once more. He pulled back from her, looking at the beautiful woman lying beneath him, gazing up at him lovingly. They only broke the intense gaze when a buzzing sounded from another room.

"Your shirt, it's dry." Syd sighed, running her hands softly over his shoulders and down to trail lightly over his chest, reluctant to have his upper body covered and hidden from her view.

He smiled as he realized the reason for the flash of disappointment that crossed her face. "Ah, forget about it. I'm more comfortable like this anyway." He shrugged. "Besides, if I have a shirt on, I can't feel your hands against my skin." He smiled sexily at her as she blushed and stilled her hands on his shoulders, looking away from him self-consciously. However, her embarrassment was short-lived as it was interrupted by a large yawn. He pushed himself off of her, rolling to lay on his back next to her on the bed before reaching out and pulling her to lie against him. "You should get some sleep. It's been a long couple of days."

"Yea, it really has been," she muttered as she snuggled up against him, smiling as she felt his arm tighten around her shoulders. He let go of her a minute later and rolled to a sitting position at the edge of the bed. "No, please stay. Hold me while I sleep?" she begged, thinking that he was going to leave.

He smiled gently at her as he turned back to her, brushing her hair back gently from her face. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, just gonna get more comfortable." He stood and pulled off his jeans, joining her on the bed once he was wearing only his boxers. He pulled her back into his arms again, and she sighed as she felt the warmth and safety of being held tightly in his arms.

"I love you, Gage," she whispered as she placed a gentle kiss against his chest before closing her eyes.

"I love you, too, sweetheart. Now go to sleep." He brushed his lips against her forehead, tightening his arms around her. A few minutes later, he heard her breathing even out as she slipped into sleep and he thanked God that she hadn't been taken from him. He fell asleep a few minutes later, secure in the knowledge that she was safe and content with the promise of a future with her.

The End

* * *

Author's Note Part II: Now, I'm not asking for help again. Instead, I am making an offer. The start of school is fast approaching and once I start teaching, my writing time is going to disappear. I have a really short little fic that is kinda for Countdown, and I have a long story that is for Unsafe Speed and Without a Sound. Beyond that, I have no more that are mostly complete. I might be able to complete one new story before school starts, and so I thought I'd see what episode people are most interested in seeing reworked with a Syd/Gage spin.

So my offer is - you vote for what you want, and if there is a majority, I'll write a fic for that episode. If there is no majority, I'll pick my favorite from the ones you've voted for. And if no one votes, I'll be sad... and will probably mark this story complete after I post the last two that are mostly written. So let me know what you think.


	7. Countdown

Author's Note: First of all, I'd like to thank all those who have left me reviews. I enjoy hearing from you and appreciate your kind words.

This chapter is sort of for Countdown. In Showdown at Casa Diablo, Gage says that the first case that Syd had as a ranger, she had to go undercover with him for 9 months. I decided to place that as the case they are coming out of on Countdown. This short little ficlet takes place about a month before that episode.

* * *

Countdown

Sydney walked out of the bathroom, turning the light off and shutting the door behind her before walking towards the bed. She climbed into bed, dropping a kiss on Gage's lips before rolling over and turning off the bedside lamp. It was a long while before she realized what she had just done. She rolled back over to face Gage, not surprised to find him frozen in shock.

"Um, Gage?" she asked tentatively, worried about his lack of response. Finally, he blinked and turned to face her.

"Yea?" Gage asked, still trying to figure out exactly what had just happened.

"I think we've been undercover too long," Syd replied, relieved that he didn't seem to be upset with her.

"Yea, maybe," he said, chuckling slightly to help relieve the sudden tension in the room.

Sydney and Gage had been undercover for eight months as a drug dealing couple in order to infiltrate El Leon's drug operation. It was Sydney's first assignment as a Ranger, and she had only met Gage days before they had gone under. Over their months undercover, they had spent all of their nights talking. Within weeks of when they had first met, they were good friends. Now, they were best friends.

After months of pretending to be a couple, apparently they were so comfortable in the roles that it carried over into their interaction when they were alone. At least it appeared that that was what had happened to Sydney. She had known for a while now that she was in love with her new partner, but she hadn't had any intention of letting him know that.

Now, she just had to hope that he took her comment about being undercover too long as the entire truth of why she had just kissed him. If he didn't, and instead figured out that the kiss was motivated by more than just habit, it could put a real strain on their partnership, not to mention potentially ruin their friendship. Desperately needing to know if that was going to happen, she watched him carefully for his reaction.

Gage had no idea what to think. He knew that over the past eight months he had grown to be more comfortable with the woman beside him than he had ever been with anyone else. He trusted her with his life, and thought of her as the best friend he'd ever had. While he didn't want to risk the friendship that he had found with her for anything, he was still finding himself very tempted to take her into his arms and kiss her. Over the past months they had exchanged countless kisses, some incredibly passionate, and yet none of them had affected him as much as the brief kiss that Sydney had just placed on his lips.

On every other occasion, he had been conscious that none of it was real. This kiss, however, had been very real. They were not playacting for anyone else's benefit. She had climbed into bed with him, rolled over and kissed him, before turning the light off and getting ready to go to sleep. She had kissed him like she did it every night, like she might if she was his wife.

With a shock, Gage realized that he didn't object to the thought of being married to the woman lying beside him. He had never thought of himself as the marrying type, so it was quite a surprise to find himself seriously considering what married life would be like for him and his partner. He knew that he enjoyed the time he spent with her, and that he would miss spending every minute of every day with her.

The times he would miss most were their nighttime conversations. That was how he had truly gotten to know his new partner. They spent their days in character, so the nights were the only time for them to really be themselves. Every night they spent hours talking about anything and everything. He could safely say that she knew almost everything important there was to know about him. The main thing that she didn't know, was the one thing that he hadn't even known about until a few minutes ago. He had fallen in love with her, and he hadn't even realized it. He really was an idiot sometimes.

Without letting himself stop to think, he rolled over so that he was lying partially on top of her with his hand resting against her cheek. Giving Syd plenty of time to object, he leaned down and captured her lips with his. He deepened the kiss when he felt her start to respond to him.

When he pulled back from her, he was unsurprised to see her looking up at him in shocked confusion. "Maybe we haven't been undercover long enough."

Sydney wasn't sure if he was saying what she thought he was saying. "We haven't?"

"No, we haven't. I actually don't think I'd mind spending a lot more time undercover. That is... as long as you are under the covers with me." He grinned mischievously at her as he awaited her reaction.

As she realized what he was insinuating she freed her hand from where it had ended up wrapped around his neck and playfully punched him in the side. "Watch it, Francis. Or you'll be sleeping on the floor."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'll be good, I promise!" Gage said, putting on his most innocent expression as he rolled off of her to lie flat on his back next to her.

"Not too good, I hope," Syd whispered as she followed him over, settling herself comfortably on top of him.

"Oh no, never too good." Gage smirked sexily at her before initiating a passionate kiss.

"Mmm... I think I could get used to this." Syd sighed happily as they separated, resting her head against his shoulder as his arm tightened around her waist.

"Mmm... definitely," Gage said quietly as he brushed a soft kiss against her forehead. "Goodnight, Syd."

"Night Gage." Syd placed a kiss on his bare chest, throwing her arm over his waist and snuggling further into his arms before closing her eyes and soon falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

Author's Note Part II: First of all, sorry if I wasn't clear last time. There is a completed fic for both Unsafe Speed and Without a Sound together. It needs editing, but it will be up before too long. When I suggested that you vote to pick the new story I would write before school, I didn't mean to include those, but any other episode from the two seasons. So far, I've received one vote each for Reel Rangers, the Final Showdown, and Deadly Situation. Now that I've hopefully been more clear, please feel free to continue voting.

Secondly, I am leaving on vacation and will not have internet access for most of the trip, so you won't be hearing from me for a little while. I'm back the 19th, and will hopefully have something to post for you soon thereafter.


	8. Home of the Brave

Author's Note: Hi all! Thanks so much for the reviews. I had a wonderful vacation, and then I got to come home to your wonderful reviews! :)

This one is for Home of the Brave. It is new and not something I expected to be writing now. But I went on vacation and had it already transcribed, so it was the easiest to work on on the plane. Also, inspiration finally struck after years of having the skeleton of it sketched out. I haven't had nearly as long with this one for editing, so I hope I didn't miss too much. It's not a long one, as there wasn't really much Syd/Gage in the episode at all, but I loved the part that there was, so here you go. I hope you enjoy it.

Oh, and it looks like the next new one I write is going to be for Reel Rangers, since that one received the most votes. Don't know how quickly I'll be able to get it up, but I'll do my best. If anyone happens to feel like helping me transcribe the episode, it would really be appreciated and would make things go considerably faster. It'd also be great to have someone to bounce ideas off of, or proofread for me. If you're interested, please contact me. Thanks!

* * *

Home of the Brave

It was the first time they were going undercover as a married couple, and it was also the quickest setup they'd ever had to do. A newborn baby had been kidnapped from the hospital, and the kidnappers had just contacted Sydney and Gage, believing them to be a wealthy couple looking to buy an infant. The kidnappers were eager to make the sale and so the Rangers had to quickly throw together a home that looked at least somewhat lived in. As Gage fiddled with the video camera that would hopefully record the sale, Syd adjusted some pictures of the two of them that they had brought from their apartments. It was a good thing they were such good friends or they wouldn't have been able to pull off a believable fake marriage so quickly.

Syd moved over to the bouquet of flowers where she had hidden the tape recorder, making sure it wasn't visible. "You almost ready over there?"

"Well," responded Gage, "considering this is the fastest sting operation Walker's ever had us put together, and I'm not exactly an electronics expert, yeah I guess I'm ready."

Syd smiled at his answer, but then immediately became serious when she heard the doorbell ring.

"Showtime," Gage said quietly, moving to open the door.

Syd checked for the wedding band on her finger as she followed him into the entryway of the house. "All right."

After one last glance at his partner, Gage turned and swung open the door to come face to face with two conspicuously impatient men. "Mr. Drake?"

Drake nodded. "Mr. and Mrs. Farnsworth?"

"Yes," Gage replied, surprised at how much he enjoyed hearing someone refer to him and Sydney as Mr. and Mrs.

"I'm here about the delivery."

"Right. Right, absolutely," Gage said, stepping aside and ushering them into the home.

"Right this way," Syd said as she led them into the living room and the direct line of the video camera.

Gage walked past them and over to the coffee table where he bent to open the large black briefcase. "Oh, right here. One hundred thousand dollars cash. Like we agreed."

"Very good," Drake replied, motioning for his companion to check that all the money was there.

Syd shifted slightly, checking they were all still within sight of the camera. "Do you have the-"

"One second," Drake interrupted. He pulled out his cellphone and hit speed dial. "Bring it in."

Syd forced herself not to show her disgust as he referred to the baby as an it. The doorbell rang only moments later, and she followed Gage to the entryway. When he opened the door, there was an exasperated looking young woman on the step, holding a screaming infant.

"Aww... honey look." Gage smiled brightly at Syd, both for the sake of their cover and at the fact that he got to call her honey, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Syd ignored him, smiling as she reached out towards the little girl. "May I hold her?"

"Gladly," said the young woman, impatiently shoving the crying baby into Sydney's arms.

As Syd pulled the infant close to her and began rocking her gently, her loud wailing cries slowed and finally stopped.

Gage stepped closer to his partner, placing his arm around her waist and grinned sweetly at the beautiful little girl in her arms. He chuckled at the funny face the baby made in response and almost forgot about their audience. He turned his attention back to the waiting kidnappers. "I cannot tell you how much we appreciate this."

"Thank you so much," Syd chimed in, not even lifting her eyes from the baby cradled in her arms.

"Just remember, when we're gone, you forget all about us," Drake threatened.

"Right," Gage nodded.

"Okay," Syd said seriously, positive she would forget all about them as soon as they were in jail.

Gage led them out before coming back to Sydney's side. "Is she alright?" he asked, playing with the sleeve of the baby's outfit.

"Yeah, she's fine," Syd sighed, rocking the baby gently from side to side.

"Alright. Let's go get these knuckleheads."

"Uh, Gage? You know what? You're a big guy, I think you can handle them all by yourself," Syd said, almost laughing at the incredulous expression on his face.

"What?" he asked, looking at his partner in disbelief. While he was somewhat flattered at her statement, he was also shocked. This was the first time in their partnership that she had ever not wanted to be involved in the takedown.

Syd smiled impishly up at him. "Who's going to watch the baby?"

"Uh, yeah, okay. You... you're unbelievable, you know that?" he said before he turned and ran out to the three kidnappers on the walkway. "Excuse me," he yelled, waiting as they turned to face him. "Actually, there was one more thing. You see..." he paused as he noticed Walker's truck pull up in front of the house. "I'm a Texas Ranger, and you're all under arrest."

There was a moment's pause as they digested that new information before Drake threw the first punch. Gage easily blocked it, his own punches finding the man's stomach and face. It took only a couple more hits before Drake fell to the grass, and Gage turned to face the other, much larger, man.

Gage was aware of Walker strolling casually past and was surprised when he received no help from the older man. Gage dodged his opponent's punch, backhanded him across the face and punched him in the chest. The blows were powerful, but the man remained standing. It took a couple more hits to the chest and a spinning back-kick to the head to send the man to the ground.

By that time, however, Drake was up again, and Gage turned just in time to block the fist heading towards his head. He dodged the other man's clumsy punches before kneeing him in the gut. He then twisted the man's arm behind his back, holding him bent over at the waist.

He looked up for a moment and saw Sydney and Walker standing on the doorstep and playing with the baby. Ignoring the pang of jealousy he felt at seeing his boss doing exactly what he wanted to be doing, he addressed their inaction. "You guys having a good time?" Walker nodded, and Gage continued, his voice full of sarcasm. "Don't trouble yourselves." He turned his attention back to the man he was holding, then he sent a couple kicks to his midsection, backing up to kick him across the face. Finally, Drake fell to the ground unconscious just as Trivette walked up holding the still struggling young woman before he shoved her to the ground.

Gage shook his head, pulling off the glasses he was wearing as part of his cover. "Do you believe that? He tried to hit me with my glasses on!" he said indignantly, seeing the hoped for smile cross his partner's face, although at that point he couldn't quite tell if it was for him or the baby she was holding in her arms.

* * *

Gage was relieved when Walker left Sydney's side to take control of the bad guys once they'd all been subdued and handcuffed. The fact that he was no longer responsible for keeping track of his prisoners meant that he was free to head inside in pursuit of his partner. He found her sitting on the couch, still playing with and talking to the baby girl she held. He sat down at her side and resumed making funny faces, inciting the laughter of both girls as he had hoped. "So, are you ever gonna give me a chance to hold her? Or are you gonna hog her until the ambulance shows up to take her back to her parents?" he asked, teasing her despite the fact that he was really enjoying seeing this different side of her.

Syd looked up at him assessingly, as though trying to determine if he was trustworthy. "Do you even know how to hold a baby?"

"Yeah, I hold her one-handed and let her head flop all over the place while I swing her carelessly from side to side," Gage replied sarcastically, stretching his arms out towards her. "Now, hand her over."

"Okay, okay. Sorry. But, be careful!" Syd said, unable to help herself as she settled the adorable little baby girl into his outstretched arms. She watched closely as he pulled the girl tight to his body, handling her with the utmost care, before she finally settled down and remembered that she trusted her partner implicitly. "Isn't she perfect? I can't imagine a more perfect baby girl."

"I can," Gage muttered, so quietly that Syd could barely make out his words. He could clearly picture a more perfect baby girl than the one he held in his arms at that moment, a baby that would look a lot like his partner and a little like him. Maybe with her dark hair and his blue eyes. Or his blond hair and her chocolate brown eyes. It really didn't matter, so long as she was theirs. Now that baby would be the most perfect baby girl imaginable.

"What was that?" Syd asked, curious about what it was he was thinking that put that somewhat dreamy look in his eyes.

"Hmm? Oh nothing, Syd. Yeah, this little one's just about perfect." He smiled as the infant wrapped her teeny tiny little fingers around his pinkie. "Yeah, you're a pretty little girl, you know that?" he whispered to the baby, brushing his finger over her cheek gently.

As Sydney watched Gage with the baby, she couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if the little girl were their own, this was their home, and they were actually married. It was incredibly easy to do, considering the fact that their pictures were spread throughout the room, and they both still wore the wedding rings that they had been provided with for the case. It also wasn't the first time that her thoughts had traveled down that path, although this was the clearest picture she had ever had of what life with Gage could be like.

"Uh oh. Syd, I think something's going on here."

She turned her attention back to the baby, finding her little face scrunched up for a moment before she started to scream. The smell of a dirty diaper soon followed, and Syd laughed as Gage immediately lifted the baby as far away from him as possible. As soon as he heard Sydney laugh, he shoved the baby at her. "Here. Fix it."

"Fine," she muttered good naturedly, taking the crying infant from him. She gestured towards the diaper bag on the table. "But don't think this means that I'm going to be changing all the diapers when we have our own kids."

"Oh yes, you certainly will. I'll do all the middle of the night feedings, you'll do all the diapers. It's a fair exchange," Gage replied as he riffled through the bag looking for a fresh diaper, baby wipes, and some baby powder.

It didn't take all that long before they both realized what they had just said. They froze. Then they hesitantly looked up from their respective tasks and made eye contact. And that was all it took. They could see it in each other's eyes. They could see a future together. A future with a marriage, and children, and a lifetime of love and friendship. And in that moment, they knew that that was what they were meant for, and that that was where they would end up. However, now, there was a very unhappy baby with a very dirty diaper who needed their immediate attention. So they changed her diaper the way they did almost everything, together. Although Gage allowed Sydney to do the messy part, while he simply handed her whatever she needed and took the freshly diapered baby from her while she cleaned up afterwards.

* * *

Once the ambulance arrived, Sydney and Gage reluctantly handed over the little girl to be checked over by the EMT. Walker and Trivette had by that time taken care of Drake and the other two kidnappers and had joined them by the ambulance, waiting to hear that the baby was alright.

"Well, this little tyke is fit as a fiddle. Her parents back at the hospital sure are gonna be glad to see her," the EMT said, much to the relief of the Texas Rangers. He then turned and handed the tiny infant over to a fellow EMT already in the truck.

"Let's go," Walker said to Trivette.

Sydney and Gage were left alone to watch until the ambulance was closed up and started to drive away. Once it was out of sight, she turned and looked up at her partner. "You know, you can take those glasses off now."

"What are you talkin' about? I like these. They make me look kind of... intelligent." He reached up and touched the glasses, adjusting them slightly on his face.

"I'm not sure anything could do that," Syd said sarcastically as she turned and walked away.

"Hey, you! You're going to pay for that," Gage responded. He reached out and grabbed her by the waist, spinning her back to face him.

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do?" Syd taunted him, grinning up at him playfully. She got his answer a moment later, although it wasn't a verbal response and was the last thing she would ever have expected. He reached his hand up to her cheek and gently tipped her head back before lowering his lips to hers and kissing her sweetly. When he pulled back from her, she smiled mischievously. "Well, if that's how I'm going to pay for calling you stupid, I might just have to do it a lot more often." She waited a beat. "I ever tell you you're an idiot?"

He laughed and kissed her again, more playfully than before. "Don't think that's always going to be your only retribution. Wouldn't want to give you too much encouragement to harass me for the rest of our lives."

"Ah, but you see, I don't need the encouragement. I'm still going to harass you for the rest of our lives whether you reward me for doing so or not. So either way works for me. Although, truth be told, I do have a slight preference," she teased happily. Then she pulled him down for one more kiss before she took his hand and started to lead him back to the house. After all, they did have a job they were supposed to be doing, and before they could leave, they still had to gather up the video and tape recorders and all of their personal items they'd brought into the house, not to mention the briefcase containing the one hundred thousand dollars.

As she led him back inside, Gage squeezed her hand in his and tried, and failed, to think of a time in his life when he had ever been happier.

It only took them about fifteen minutes to get everything together and restore the house to its previous emptiness. They had two boxes: one for everything that needed to be returned to headquarters, and one for their own belongings. Gage looked at the contents of each box, and then scanned the room once again. "Looks like that's everything. You ready to get out of here?"

"That's not quite everything, we still have to give our rings back," Syd answered, looking down at her left hand somewhat longingly.

Gage looked down at his own hand, twisting the band of metal around his finger. "You think they're really gonna miss them?"

"What? Of course. Why?" Syd asked, a little confused by his question.

"Well I kinda like them," Gage answered, smiling a little hesitantly.

"You do?"

"Of course. I've heard that wedding rings are real chick magnets, something about knowing the man is ready to commit. So I figure, if I can keep this one, it should make it much easier to pick up women," he answered matter of factly. He then laughed and dodged her fist as it flew towards him, grabbing onto her arm before she could pull it back. He tugged her into his arms and took her left hand in his. "With this ring on your finger, and its counterpart on mine, I wouldn't have to worry about anybody trying to steal you away from me."

She smiled when she heard his real reason for wanting to keep the rings. "Not that you really have to worry about that anyway, but you know, there is an alternate solution that might be slightly better than stealing from Headquarters," she said softly. He cocked his head to the side, waiting to hear her suggestion. "You could always buy a set of your own."

Gage smiled brightly when he heard her surprisingly shy suggestion. "You know, I just might have to do that." He pulled her closer to him and kissed her lovingly. "I just might have to do that."

The End


	9. One Specific Moment

Author's Note: Hi all! I don't know if you even remember me, it's been so long since I've posted! Anyway, thanks to winter break's free time and moviemom44's editing and encouragement, I'm here now. I've got this new short story I'm posting now, and the Unsafe Speed/Without a Sound story is being edited, but it will probably take quite a few weekends before it's ready to post. Eventually I will also have the Reel Rangers fic I promised, but maybe not until spring break... In the meantime, here's another rewrite of Rise to the Occasion. It starts at the same place as the previous rewrite, but is completely different otherwise. So here you go. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

One Specific Moment

He could trace it back to one specific moment. One moment in which he realized that the love he felt for his partner was not quite as platonic as he had always assumed it was. This truth was made abundantly clear to him as he sat, mouth open, eyes unblinking, unable to breathe or even think clearly enough to remember what his name was supposed to be at that point in time, capable of watching and nothing more.

The only thoughts able to move through his sluggish brain seemed to pertain simply to the curves of his partner's hips, the length of his partner's legs, the swell of his partner's breasts, and the movements of his partner's body that were simultaneously graceful and erotic.

He felt his body begin to respond as his mind conjured up an image of an alternate scenario in which her body would move in a similar fashion only with far fewer clothes and him as an active participant instead of part of an audience. This physical indication of his arousal was what finally broke through to his conscious mind and made him aware of the fact that he was feeling some serious lust for his partner.

At this thought, his mouth snapped shut and he blinked, hard. He was sexually attracted to his partner; his partner whom he had always assumed he loved like a sister. Of course he'd always been aware of her beauty, from the very first time he had seen her. But then she became a trusted partner and eventually his best friend, and that she had beautiful eyes and a wonderful smile was simply a fact that he kept in the back of his mind with no active bearing on their relationship.

Now, however, as he watched her sensual movements and listened to the lovely clarity of her voice as she danced and sang with all of her heart, it seemed that the fact of his partner's beauty was suddenly back in the forefront of his mind and was now the only thing he was capable of focusing on, in an entirely non-platonic way. And he began to wonder exactly what it meant. He knew that he loved his partner, as one does typically love one's best friend. However, now that he had discovered his attraction to her, he seemed to be forced to redefine his feelings for this woman who played such a big part in his life. And that was the precise moment when he put love and lust together and figured out that he was in love with his partner.

* * *

He had to see her. He knew he couldn't talk to her like he wanted to, not Gage to Sydney, but Joey to Connie, and that would have to do. He needed to be close to her, to see her, to touch her, to hear her voice. He needed it more than he'd ever thought possible, needed _her_ more than he'd ever thought possible, _wanted_ her more than he'd ever thought possible. He'd watched her leave the stage and head towards the bar, and without conscious thought, his feet began to lead him in that direction. With a smile on his face at the thought of being near to the woman he now realized he was in love with, he opened the door to the bar area and promptly felt the smile wiped from his face as his body tightened in anger.

"Bet you'd be real fine in my bedroom" was all he heard of the conversation, but coupled with the hand the man had wrapped around Sydney's arm and the smirks of the guy's two friends, it was all he needed to hear.

"Let her go." His demand was simple enough, and spoken in such a way that only an idiot would refuse.

"It's okay Joey, I got it." Sydney tried to reassure him, as the idiot who had a hold on her increased the tightness of the grip on her arm while smiling mockingly over his shoulder at Gage.

"The hell it is. I said let her go. Please." Gage spoke slowly, each word threatening bodily harm to those who would be so foolish as to ignore him.

The idiotic fool turned fully to face Gage, laughing as he asked, "And what are you gonna do?"

Two punches to the face and the idiot went down, a kick behind him to stupid friend number one, followed by a spinning back kick to stupid friend number two, and the fight was in full swing. After punching stupid friend number one repeatedly in the face till he was out, Gage glanced over at Syd, finding her taking a sip of her drink and subtly kicking the idiot, who at that point was starting to revive. As he ducked to avoid the clumsy punch being sent his way by stupid friend number two, Gage noticed a slight smile on his partner's lips as she stood back and watched him fight. A couple punches and a throw over the shoulder, and stupid friend number two was down for the count.

"Now what exactly was it about that situation that you enjoyed so much?" Gage asked as he approached his partner, stepping over the idiot, but not without landing a solid kick into the man's ribs, just for good measure.

"Oh come on, just how often do I get to play the damsel in distress and watch my knight in awful Hawaiian patterned shirt come to my rescue?" Syd teased him, fluttering her eyelashes and playing up the distressed damsel part as much as possible. She suddenly faltered in her act as she noticed a shift in Gage's mood, backing away from him at the slightly predatory look now visible in his eyes as he stalked towards her. Before long, she found herself with her back up against the wall with Gage's hands to either side, imprisoning her in her current position. "Uh, Gage?" Sydney voiced questioningly, slightly unnerved by the intense manner in which he was staring at her.

As she spoke his name, his eyes darted down to her lips and he was no longer able to control himself. He bent his head and captured her lips with his own. At the first contact, she gasped in shock, and Gage took full advantage, slipping his tongue between her lips and tasting her for the first time. As he felt her tongue move to touch his and her lips open further as she began to kiss him back, he moaned helplessly and pulled her body against his own.

As she willingly came into his arms, wrapping her own arms tightly around his neck, he slid an arm down her side and along her smooth thigh, lifting her so her legs wrapped around his waist and her back was flat against the wall once again. They both moaned as their bodies came into intimate contact for the first time, and they began to rock against each other. Breaking the passionate kiss for the first time, Gage pressed his forehead up against Sydney's as he opened his eyes to gaze at her in awe. "My God, Syd," he whispered breathlessly, as their hips continued to move gently against each other.

"Francis..." she moaned in response, and for the first time in his life, Gage liked the sound of his first name. "Oh, God, Gage. We can't do this. Not here, not now..." Syd whispered, knowing what she said to be true, even as she tipped her head and began kissing her way down her partner's neck, while his hands continued to move restlessly up and down her sides.

It was as his hand was finally settling over her breast, causing her to gasp in the most delightful way, that the words that she had spoken penetrated the fog of his brain. And it was with a great deal of frustration and disappointment that Gage realized that she was right. Groaning as if in pain, he forced himself to remove his hands from their current locations on her breast and hip, and instead settled them on her waist, where he stilled the glorious movements of her hips and encouraged her to unwrap her legs from around his waist.

As he set her back on the ground and began to step back, her knees began to buckle, and he moved quickly to support her, happy to see that she had been equally affected by their passionate encounter. With one last brief but powerful kiss, Gage pulled back completely from his partner, quickly putting as much distance between them as possible. He was suddenly deeply gratified to be wearing the long Hawaiian patterned shirt, as he came face to face with Lorenzo Cabral. While Gage attempted to determine just how much Cabral had seen by simply staring blankly into the man's face, Syd recovered herself quickly enough to rush across the room and throw herself into Cabral's arms.

"Oh, it was so awful. This guy grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. I was so scared," she cried, pushing her head into his shoulder. She knew that he would easily sense her quickened heartbeat and the slight sheen of sweat on her skin, and hoped that she could make him mistake her arousal for fear. "I'm so glad you're here."

Gage couldn't help but watch this interaction, even as he felt the pain of jealousy and anger stabbing through him. It was at that moment that he recalled the fact that Sydney had kissed this man before, and would probably have to continue to kiss him or risk blowing their covers. Needing desperately to take out his frustration, anger, and jealousy on someone or something, he smiled as he heard the idiot, stupid friend number one, and stupid friend number two start to stir.

* * *

With one final spinning back kick, Gage's opponent fell. Mere seconds later, he was rushing to his partner's side and offering his assistance. "Need any help?"

As he watched Sydney bash Cabral's head into a metal railing, Gage realized, much to his disappointment, that his partner had already finished her adversary off.

"As a matter of fact, yes, there is something that I need your help with," Sydney responded, seeing Gage's confused glance between her and the unconscious man at her feet. "Come with me," she said, grabbing onto his hand and dragging him behind her towards their car.

"Syd, what are you doing? Where-"

"No questions," Syd cut him off, practically shoving him into the passenger seat and rounding the car to the driver's side.

Surprised to see this side of his partner, Gage silently obeyed her request, and the next words either one of them spoke were as Sydney was dragging him through the door to her apartment.

"I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to," Syd said quietly as she stalked towards him, backing him up against the door and slamming it shut in the process.

"Oh, and what would that be?" Gage asked, smiling down at his partner as she went up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Well I think it starts something like this," Syd murmured, pulling him down into a kiss.

"Mmm... and how does it end?" Gage whispered as they pulled apart to catch their breaths.

"In the short term? You and me making love in my bed."

Gage groaned as he heard her quiet response, abandoning the path of kisses he was placing down her neck to slide his arm beneath her knees and swing her into his arms. "And the long term?"

"Don't you know? We live happily ever after," Syd sighed, following Gage's example and placing kisses down the side of his neck as he carried her into her bedroom.

"Mmm... That's what I thought," Gage responded quietly, laying the woman he loved gently onto her bed before following her down and covering her with his body.

* * *

It was many hours later that the question came up of when he knew he was in love with her, and he was able to detail for her the precise moment in which he realized that the love he felt for her was not quite as platonic as he had always assumed. And in the aftermath of his explanation, there was another length of time in which no conversation was had except for that exchanged between two bodies and two souls in the quiet moans and murmurs of lovemaking.

The End


	10. Without a Sound Pt 1

Author's Note: Okay, so I know it's almost 8 months later, but at least I am back, right? I'm sorry that this took so long. I wanted to say thank you to those of you who have reviewed and expressed a desire for me to update soon. You helped motivate me to get this up.

Here's the first part of the Without a Sound/Unsafe Speed story. The entire story is rather long, so I've decided to post it in two parts. I'm still working through editing the second part, but I hope to have it up soon. If not for moviemom44's editing and good advice, this probably still wouldn't be up and it would be at least 5 pages longer, 5 pages of unnecessary and uninteresting scenes.

So, after many, many months... here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Without A Sound

When Francis Gage decided to become a Texas Ranger, he knew that he would have to spend some time doing things that would make him uncomfortable. But he never would have expected that he would have to spend much time in strip clubs. However, that's exactly what he was doing at that moment. He was sitting at the bar of a Men's Club, with his partner, Sydney Cooke, sitting next to him. He was watching men make fools of themselves and women make objects of themselves with his very female partner sitting right next to him. It was a situation that made him rather uncomfortable, leading him to fidget.

"Here's your cola, sir. Will there be anything else?" the waiter asked as he set down Gage's drink.

"No, thank you," Gage responded, watching as Syd slid the napkin out from under his drink and started wiping the lipstick stains off of her glass. Deciding that he would never completely understand his partner, he shook his head, choosing to ignore it. "I hope this Freddy character shows up soon."

"Well, our informant Chester said he'd be here today," Syd said, while still not removing her attention from trying to clean off her glass.

"Oh, listen Syd. By the way, thanks for agreeing to go to my class reunion with me tonight." Gage hadn't been sure if Sydney would want to go with him to his reunion, but there wasn't anyone else that he'd rather go with. He had been delighted when she had agreed to go.

"Oh, no. It'll be fun," Syd said, honestly looking forward to Gage's reunion. They hadn't spent that much time together outside of work lately, and she really missed the extra time with him. She also was very pleased that she was the one he had asked to go with him.

"I just, are you sure?" Gage asked, worried that Syd wouldn't really enjoy herself. It wasn't as if she knew anyone that was going to be there, other than him, of course.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Syd reassured her partner.

"Okay." Gage still wasn't very sure, but he decided that he would worry about that later, as he noticed the man they were waiting for heading for the stairs. "There's Freddy now, the little ferret. Let's give him a second to get upstairs." They sat in silence for a moment before Gage decided that they had waited long enough. "Ready?"

"Mm hmm." Syd nodded, taking one last sip of her drink before turning and starting to stand up.

"Alright," Gage said as he also stood up. The two rangers walked over to the corner of the club and up the stairs. They reached the top of the staircase and were stopped by a guard.

"Where you two goin'?" the man asked, obviously not about to let them through.

"I was just gonna use the men's room," Gage said, trying to find a way around the man.

"Slick, that ain't the men's room," the guard responded.

"Oh good. It's the women's," Syd sighed in faked relief, as she squeezed past the guard.

"Hey, get outta here," Freddy shouted as he noticed Syd's presence.

"Sorry, Texas Rangers," Syd said, moving her jacket to the side to show her badge. She didn't wait for a reaction from Freddy, instead kicking the tray of drugs that was on the table into his face. At the same time, Gage punched the guard in the face, sending him tumbling down the stairs. Syd grabbed a couple of beer bottles off of the table and used them to knock out one of the remaining men. A few kicks and punches later the fight ended with Gage throwing one of the guards over the railing and all the other drug dealers in a pile on the floor.

* * *

A little later, seeing that the cops had arrived to escort the drug dealers from the club, Syd ran down the stairs and headed towards the door.

Gage noticed her running past him and stopped her. "Hey, Syd, Syd, Syd. Where ya goin? We gotta... still." Gage pointed upstairs, trying to remind her of everything that they had to do to wrap up the bust.

"Well, I know but I gotta go if I'm gonna get ready for your reunion," Syd said, before starting to leave again.

"Okay, now, are you sure?" Gage stopped her again.

"Don't ask!" Syd warned. She was starting to get frustrated with Gage's questioning. She had already told him a million times that she wanted to go with him to his reunion, but he didn't seem to believe her. She turned and left the club, leaving a slightly embarrassed and befuddled Gage behind.

* * *

"Hold on Syd," Gage yelled as he ran around to the other side of his car. "You gotta open it from the outside," Gage explained to Syd, who was still struggling to open the door from the inside. Gage opened the door, which screeched as it opened, and Syd shrieked as she fell out of the car onto the ground.

"Whoa, whoa," Gage said, as he reached to help her up. "Okay, good. I'm gonna fix that. I'm gonna get that fixed." Gage turned to close the car door while Syd started to brush herself off. "Sorry," Gage said, embarrassed.

"It's alright," Syd said, still trying to brush some of the dirt from the parking lot off of her dress.

Gage leaned back against the door of his car, looking at his partner. It wasn't often that he got to see her in a dress, and he was certainly affected by what he saw. "You know what Syd? I have to say you look absolutely beautiful." It was an inadequate description, but he couldn't find the words to express how amazing she looked at that moment.

"Really?" Syd questioned shyly. It wasn't very often that she got a compliment like that from her partner, but when she did, it meant a lot.

Gage nodded. "Yes, you do."

"You look really handsome," Syd said in return, a little shyly.

"Thank you," Gage responded. Feeling that things were starting to get a little awkward, Gage cleared his throat. "Let's go."

* * *

As soon as they entered the reunion, Gage dragged Syd over to the buffet table and started piling as much food as he could onto his plate.

It only took a moment before a blonde woman headed over to the table, clearing her throat when she was close enough to be heard. "Francis Gage?"

Gage turned to face the woman, smiling when he saw who it was. "Marilyn Elkins."

"You remember me," Marilyn said, smiling flirtatiously at Gage.

"How could I forget? Your father did chase me around with a shot gun," Gage responded, chuckling.

Marilyn laughed. "Sorry, I never apologized for that."

"It's alright," he replied, turning as a man approached him from across the room.

The man reached out a hand to Gage, shaking his hand as he introduced himself. "Ted Moran."

"Hi," Gage said, trying to figure out if he was supposed to know who this man was.

"Hi, I'm Marilyn's fiancé," Ted explained, seeing the confusion on Gage's face.

"Very nice to meet you," Gage said, smiling, happy to see that Marilyn had found someone to share her life with.

"I've heard a lot about you," Ted said, to Gage's amazement. He raised his eyebrows, looking from Ted to Marilyn, unsure how to take that comment.

"You, uh, came alone?" Ted asked Gage, sincerely hoping that the answer would be no.

"Oh, no, no. Uh Syd." Gage turned around to where Syd was standing directly behind him. He turned around again, bringing her with him, with his arm around her waist.

"Yeah," Syd responded, pretending that she hadn't been listening to Gage's conversation with Marilyn. In reality, she had been hanging on every word and was struggling to keep from muttering sarcastically regarding their conversation.

"Ted, Marilyn, this is Sydney Cooke," Gage made the introductions, ashamed that he had been ignoring Syd for the last couple of minutes.

"Hi," Ted said.

"Hi," Syd responded, unsure what else to say.

"Nice to meet you," Marilyn said to Syd, smiling.

Syd took a sip of her punch, and then choked on it as she heard the question that Ted asked next. "So, you two, uh, married?"

Gage was shocked. He had not been expecting that question, and wasn't sure how to respond. His answer came out as a high pitched squeak. "To each other? I mean... I mean no."

Marilyn laughed at Gage's fumbled response. Syd, as she was recovering, cleared her throat. "Excuse me," she muttered. Then she pointed towards Gage and explained. "We just work together." Syd shook her head, wondering if that could have possibly gone worse.

Gage was rather embarrassed. "Yeah, yeah."

"Oh, well, Francis is a great guy to have around. In high school Francis and I spent a lot of time together. Did some, uh, crazy things," Marilyn said, looking Gage straight in the eye. The two obviously had quite a history, and Ted wasn't very happy with that. "Ted, honey, why don't you, uh, dance with Sydney, and Francis and I will get caught up on old times," Marilyn suggested, not noticing her fiancé's unease.

Syd set down her drink, eager to avoid hearing more about the times that Gage and Marilyn had spent together. "That's a great idea, come on Ted." She grabbed his hand and led him over to the dance floor.

"Yeah, sure," Ted mumbled, obviously not happy. Once they reached the dance floor, Ted tried for some conversation. "That's Francis Gage."

"Yeah, sounds like they were pretty close at one time," Syd replied, looking over at Gage and Marilyn and then shrugging. She wasn't that comfortable watching them together either, but she knew that everyone had a past, and there was nothing that she could do to change that.

"Yeah, Marilyn still talks about him," Ted said, looking over at his fiancée. His jealousy obviously went much farther back than just from that night. "You know thanks for the dance, but I think I need some air," Ted said as he walked away. Syd nodded, watching him leave, and then headed back over to where Gage was.

She arrived just in time to hear Gage say, "You know I'm just glad it was only rock salt. I still have a scar over here. I swear to you, look." Deciding that she was relieved that she hadn't heard the beginning of that story, Syd interrupted them. "I lost my dance partner." At Marilyn's questioning look, Syd continued, "He went to get some air."

"Oh, I better go check on him," Marilyn said, smiling at Gage once more before heading out to look for Ted.

Gage looked at Syd, questioningly. She looked back at him, shrugging to show him that she didn't know exactly what was going on.

* * *

When Syd felt the warmth of Gage's arm settle around her waist and pull her into his embrace, her heart stuttered in her chest. The dance was slow and as she inhaled the warm scent that was Gage and some wonderful cologne, she couldn't recall ever being more comfortable or at ease.

When Gage heard Sydney's soft sigh, he inched his hand farther around her waist, subtlely pulling her closer to him. If he was entirely honest with himself, this was the reason he had been so eager to have his partner accompany him to his reunion. He would take any chance he had to hold Sydney close in his arms and a dance was too good to pass up.

As the song came to an end, Sydney and Gage slowly came to a stop, both reluctant to let go, of the moment and of each other. They slowly started to walk together towards the hallway, talking together quietly.

"Syd, what are you talkin' about?" Gage asked her as he followed her through the door.

"Well, you heard me. You made Ted je-" Sydney stopped speaking suddenly as she noticed Ted and Marilyn walking down the hall. "You made him jealous, look," she said, pointing at the couple walking away from them.

"Wow," Gage muttered. He hadn't believed Syd at first. It seemed ridiculous for Ted to be jealous of him since he hadn't even thought about Marilyn in years, but now he was starting to wonder if maybe his partner was right.

"I betcha they're goin' home," Syd said, noticing as Gage started to realize that she was right.

"You think they're leavin'?" Gage asked, looking back at his partner.

"Yeah," Syd replied, wondering how such a smart man could be so dense about certain things sometimes.

"You know what? I'll go stop him, and I'll tell him that I'm already crazy about somebody else," Gage said. He gave her a little smile and turned to walk away, wondering if she was going to figure out that he was talking about her. Halfway down the hall, he turned back to see her reaction to his words before starting to run down the hall after Ted and Marilyn. Sydney was left behind, watching him leave and wondering if he could have possibly meant that he had feelings for her. Knowing that she was probably being too hopeful, she decided to just wait and see what happened when he got back.

Gage got outside just in time to hear a gunshot. He had been ambling slowly towards the door, smiling as he had remembered the look on Sydney's face a moment ago, but now he immediately started running in the direction of the shots. He ran as quickly as he could, seeing Marilyn kneeling over Ted's body and a man pointing a gun at her. "Hey!" he shouted, just in time to see the man shoot Marilyn in the head. He looked directly at the shooter, watching as he pointed the gun in his direction. The man fired, causing the car directly behind Gage to explode. Gage screamed as pain burst forth in his ears, grabbing his head as he fell to his knees in the middle of the parking lot. His agony soon grew to unbearable levels, causing Gage to pass out into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

When Sydney heard the sound of the explosion she was standing in the hallway, still thinking about the meaning of Gage's comment. She immediately began running towards the door. Partway down the hall she stopped to rip off the high heels that she had worn for Gage's benefit and started to run again. She reached the door and sprinted towards the burning car, arriving just in time to see a car speed out of the parking lot. She tried to read the license plate, but the car was too far away and moving too quickly. She turned back towards the burning car, seeing three bodies lying on the ground. She ran closer to them and found Ted and Marilyn with obviously fatal gunshot wounds. Then she saw Gage. She kneeled down on the ground next to him.

"Gage? Gage!" she shouted, cradling his head in her lap. "Please, wake up, please, Gage. You have to be alright." She checked for a pulse, relieved to find one. She reached into his jacket pocket, finding his cell phone and dialing 911.

"Hello, police? This is Texas Ranger Sydney Cooke. I have a ranger down. Send an ambulance immediately!" She gave them the address, hanging up the phone and giving her full attention back to Gage. The only sign of an injury that she could see was the blood in his ears and a few other scratches. She hoped to God that meant he would be okay. She didn't know what she would do if he wasn't alright. "Gage, Gage, please, you have to be okay," she whispered, brushing his hair back gently from his face, preparing for the interminable wait for the ambulance.

When the ambulance finally arrived, Sydney insisted on riding with Gage, holding his hand the entire time and praying that he would be alright. When they arrived at the hospital, the doctors refused to allow her in the room as they examined Gage, so she was left sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, worrying about her partner.

* * *

It was hours later, and Sydney was still sitting in the waiting room. Now, however, she wasn't alone. She had called Walker at the ranch and now Walker, Alex, and Trivette were at the hospital with her. She had also had Alex stop at her apartment to bring her some different clothes. It was already morning, and Sydney was exhausted. She had been awake the entire night worrying about her partner, but she wasn't about to rest until she knew that he was going to be okay.

A little while later, an older man bearing a name tag that identified him as Dr. Clark walked over to them. "Hi, I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

Sydney stood up immediately, eager to find out how Gage was doing. Walker, Alex, and Trivette also stood, gathering around the doctor.

"How's he doing?" Sydney asked.

"Well, Ranger Gage is alert and there are no major external injuries." The momentary relief that the four friends felt was dispelled as Dr. Clark continued, "but, well, the sound of that explosion has damaged his hearing."

"How serious is it?" Walker asked, concerned about one of his best rangers, one of his friends.

"Well his eardrums are ruptured and there's nerve damage. In fact at the moment he's totally deaf," the doctor explained.

Sydney was shocked. She couldn't quite believe what Dr. Clark had said. Gage was deaf. Her perfect, strong, never been sick a day in his life partner, was deaf. Of course, she had to put things in perspective; at least he was alive. If he had been much closer to that car when it had exploded, then he wouldn't have survived. With that realization, Sydney determined that she had to maintain that positive outlook when she was around Gage. He would need all the support and encouragement that she could give him.

When the doctor led them in to see Gage, he was sitting propped up in the hospital bed, looking aimlessly around the room. He looked over at the door when he noticed Dr. Clark walking into the room, followed by Syd, Alex, Walker and Trivette. He smiled at them, glad to see his friends. However, when he realized that all he could hear was the ringing in his ears and that he heard nothing from his friends, he soon became depressed again. Syd came over and stood right next to him, gently rubbing his shoulder in encouragement.

Trivette looked over at the computer that was on the table in front of the bed, assuming that its use was to allow them to communicate with Gage.

"Well go ahead, just type in anything you want to say," the doctor said, noticing where Trivette's attention was focused.

Trivette typed into the computer, "Hang in there buddy." Gage nodded, giving Trivette a thumbs up sign.

"Doctor, what are his chances of hearing again?" Walker asked.

"Well, unfortunately, loss of hearing due to acoustic trauma can be difficult to rehabilitate. Since the eardrums are no longer intact, bacteria can enter, causing infection and scarring," Clark explained.

"Is there anything you can do?" Walker asked, having never been very good at just sitting back and doing nothing.

"Steady course of antibiotics, keep those ears clean and dry."

"And then what?" Sydney asked, still not taking her attention from Gage. She had been watching him for the past few minutes, concerned about him. He kept turning his head away, looking around the room, and was obviously very upset that he couldn't understand what they were saying.

"We wait. We have to see whether those eardrums can rehabilitate on their own. If not, I'll keep looking for options," the doctor replied, clearly disappointed that he didn't have anything more promising to tell them.

Gage looked over at Sydney, who looked back at him and tried to smile reassuringly.

"What about hearing aids?" Trivette asked, not willing to just accept that Gage might never hear again.

"Well, a loud explosion can also result in severe tinnitus, a ringing in the ears. The use of any listening device is only going to amplify that ringing."

"Can you guys hear me?" Gage asked loudly.

"Loud and clear," Alex answered. At Gage's questioning look, Trivette typed out what she had said. At the same time, Sydney nodded at him, seeing Gage's obvious relief that they could hear him.

"He can't hear his own voice, he's going to need your reassurance," the doctor explained as he left.

"How's Marilyn and Ted?" Gage asked, looking to Syd for the answer. She looked down, gently shaking her head and saying lowly, "They didn't make it." Again, Trivette typed out what she had said.

Gage read the message and laid his head back against the pillow, closing his eyes. Sydney knew the guilt and grief that he had to be feeling and tried to let him know that he wasn't alone as she rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.

"Gage, did you see the killer?" Walker asked, and Trivette typed out the question.

"Yes," Gage responded, still trying to accept the fact that Ted and Marilyn were dead.

"Can you describe him?" Walker asked. Gage read the question as Trivette typed it out on the screen.

"I think so," Gage replied. He was still speaking loudly and was not using his voice very confidently.

"I'll get the description, Walker," Trivette said to Walker.

"Okay," Walker responded. With a wave to Gage, to which Gage gave a thumbs up, Walker turned to go. Alex followed her husband out of the hospital room. Sydney was still standing beside Gage, hesitant to leave, but knowing that she had to. She squeezed his shoulder gently, smiled slightly at him and slowly left the room.

Trivette turned to Gage, opening the computer program that he was going to use to help produce a sketch of the killer. "Describe his eyes." Trivette spoke the words while he was typing them. At Gage's perplexed expression, Jimmy typed out a question. "What do you see?"

Gage flashed back to the night before. Right after he had seen the man shoot Marilyn, he had gotten a clear look at the man's face. Visualizing his face, he started to give Trivette the best description that he could. "Deep... hollow..." Jimmy chose a pair eyes from the program. "Yeah... yeah... yeah..." Gage said, seeing the eyes on the computer screen.

"Alright... wh-" Jimmy started to say before realizing once again that Gage couldn't hear him. He tried again, typing this time. "What else?"

"Um... sharp bones," Gage said, gesturing to his cheekbones. Trivette picked a pair of cheeks from the program. "And he had a thin lipped smile, kinda like that," Gage said, pointing to a pair of lips on the computer screen.

"His hair?" Trivette asked and typed, pulling up the different hair styles available as possible choices.

"Short, dark... bottom left I guess." Gage pointed, and nodded as Jimmy added the hair choice to the sketch. "Yeah, hair like that." Gage pointed at the screen. "Yeah." Jimmy smiled as he saw the completed sketch, then typed a message to Gage. "You did good, we'll find him." He then turned to Gage and said, "We'll find him."

Gage gave Jimmy a thumbs up. "Okay," Gage said, watching as Trivette left the hospital room, leaving him alone in the never-ending silence once again.

* * *

After leaving the hospital, Sydney had gone home to get some rest and take a shower and then had headed into work. She only lasted about half an hour before getting Walker's permission to head back to the hospital to check on Gage. When she arrived, she was surprised to learn that Gage had been released. While Gage was packing his stuff, she went and found Dr. Clark to get any final advice or instructions.

"This is a speech recognition computer, an 'I-Communicator.' You just speak into that microphone there, and Ranger Gage will be able to read what you say," the doctor said, handing over the small handheld device to Syd.

"You mean right here? Like this?" Sydney asked, holding the microphone directly next to her mouth, and then watching, surprised, as the machine wrote down what she had said.

"That's right." Dr. Clark nodded. "It translates simple speech into written text."

"Well this should help a lot," Sydney said, relieved to finally have an easier way to communicate with Gage than having to type what she wanted to say out on a computer.

"Alright, I'm ready," Gage said loudly before Syd had really finished what she had been saying.

"Uh, Ranger Gage, I wish you'd reconsider. We could get you into an outpatient program where they teach lip reading and sign language," Clark said, speaking into the handheld communicator. Confused about why the doctor was speaking to him, Gage motioned to his ears, showing that he couldn't hear what they were saying. Syd noticed Gage's frustration and pointed towards the device as the doctor turned it around for Gage to be able to read. Gage read what the doctor had said, surprised and happy that he finally had a way to know what the others were saying.

As he read the end of the message, he responded to Dr. Clark's comments. "Nah, none of that stuff's for me. I'm gonna wait for you right outside," he said directly to Syd.

Understanding his eagerness to leave the hospital, she motioned to him that she'd be right out. "Okay," she said, figuring that he would understand what she was saying. He turned and headed out the door, thanking the doctor on his way.

"You know, hearing is the hardest of the five senses to lose, even if it's temporary," Dr. Clark said to Syd. "The newly deaf often underestimate their handicap and place themselves in danger."

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Syd replied, determined that nothing would happen to Gage, even if she had to keep him in her sight twenty-four hours a day.

"You're going to have to remember, although Ranger Gage looks the same, his life is very different now."

Sydney nodded, showing that she understood what the doctor was saying. "Thank you, Doctor." She then left to go join Gage.

* * *

The unnatural quiet in the car as Syd was driving Gage home was making her very uncomfortable. Usually, they would be talking and laughing together, but now they just sat in silence. Syd had started to say something to him a couple of times, before realizing once again that he couldn't hear her.

Gage was sitting staring out the car window and thinking. "Hey, Syd? Before we go home, there's someplace I wanna go."

"Okay," Syd replied, nodding to let him know that it was okay with her.

After stopping to get flowers, Sydney and Gage arrived at the cemetery. They walked over to Marilyn Elkins's fresh grave site, Sydney standing back to give Gage some privacy as he kneeled by his old friend's tombstone. She was, however, watching him very closely. She hated to see him in pain, but didn't know exactly how to help him through his grief. He looked up into the sky, and Syd could see the beginnings of tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Marilyn, I wish that I could have gotten there in time," he whispered, setting the flowers down on the grave. He then turned and stood, heading over to where Syd was standing waiting for him. He signaled to her that he was ready to leave and she took his hand in hers as they walked towards her car, trying to offer him any comfort she could.

* * *

Gage was at his apartment, putting in a doorbell that turned on the lights in his hallway instead of making noise. He smiled slightly as he pressed the bell and the lights turned on. His feeling of accomplishment was short-lived, however, as he realized that he wouldn't need to have this device if it weren't for the fact that he was deaf. He tried pushing the doorbell again, but the light did not flicker like it had the first time. Sighing, he climbed back up on his ladder to try and fix it again.

Sydney had decided to bring over some food and make lunch for Gage. She knew him well enough to realize that he probably wouldn't take care of himself very well. She was also worried, as she remembered what the doctor had said about the newly deaf putting themselves in danger. Therefore, she decided that she was going to stay with him until he got his hearing back, or at least until he was more adjusted to his new situation. That was why she was walking up to his apartment door with a bag full of groceries and a duffel bag of clothes for herself. She was surprised when she saw that his door was open, looking in and seeing him standing on a ladder in his hallway. She walked in, trying to get his attention.

"Gage?" she said, before realizing that he couldn't hear her. She reached out and gently touched the back of his thigh.

He looked down, startled. "Syd?"

She smiled up at him. "Hi."

"What are you doin' here?" Gage asked, confused. She had just left him at his apartment a little over an hour ago, and he had no idea why she had returned.

"Well I br- ugh." She stopped speaking and pointed to the grocery bag, smiling slightly as he realized why she was there.

"Oh!" Gage said loudly. "Uh, thank you."

Syd smiled and nodded, then turned to walk into kitchen, leaving Gage to work on the doorbell. She set the groceries down on the counter, then placed her duffel bag in the living room. She hadn't yet told Gage that she was planning on staying with him, and she wasn't sure how he was going to take it. She decided that she'd have to wait until just the right time to tell him. She returned quickly to the kitchen, noticing the teakettle whistling on the stove. She turned the stove off, then turned and grabbed a towel and moved the kettle onto a different section of the stove.

She looked around the apartment, realizing that Gage had turned on the TV, but since he couldn't hear, he didn't know that the volume was extremely loud. She went over to it, mumbling quietly to herself, and turned the TV off. She went back over to the kitchen and started to unpack the food that she had brought.

Meanwhile, Gage was still trying to fix the light. He was starting to get tired and frustrated with his lack of success. He reached up and started to fiddle with the wires again and felt an electric shock travel up his arm. "Ow!" he yelled, then screamed as he fell off of the ladder into the corner, hitting his head on the way down.

Syd heard his scream and immediately headed over to the hallway. "Gage?" She saw him slowly getting up off of the floor and ran over to him to help him up. "Gage!"

"I'm fine," Gage said, loudly.

"You alright?" Syd asked him, worried that he might have been seriously hurt.

"I'm fine, yeah," Gage shouted, incredibly frustrated. It seemed as though nothing was going well in his life right then.

"Well, wh-" Syd tried to make it clear what she wanted to ask without speaking.

"Ugh... slipped... it... I... I'm fine." His arm was hurting, and he was holding tightly to it, but he still insisted that he was alright. He didn't want Syd to worry about him more than she already was.

Sydney noticed the way that he was cradling his arm and was a little irritated that he was keeping it from her. She knew him well enough to know that he was not going to admit that he was hurting. Figuring that he would be okay, she shook her head and went back into the kitchen to start cooking the food.

* * *

Sydney had just finished making lunch, and Gage was waiting for her to bring over the food. His arm was still throbbing, but he figured that it would eventually go away. He was rubbing at it, trying to relieve some of the pain, when Syd came over to the table and set a plate in front of him.

"Okay, there you go," she said, smiling at him. She started to sit, looking around his apartment as she did. "You know your apartment lo-"

She was interrupted as Gage looked up at her and said, "Thank you." He smiled at her.

"You're welcome." Syd smiled and sat down to start eating. "I was just gonna say..." she began again before noticing that he wasn't looking at her. She reached her arms over the table to get his attention, trying again once he was looking at her. "You know, your apartment looks very clean."

Gage picked up the handheld communicator and read what she had said. "I have nothing to do," he responded, not used to being unable to work and having no idea what to do with all his free time.

Syd smiled sadly at him. She should have known that it was something like that. It seemed that everywhere she turned there were reminders of Gage's deafness. She shook herself out of her thoughts and looked up at him once again. "Good?" Once again, Gage was not watching her and was unaware that she had spoken.

"So how's the case going, did you find the killers?" Gage asked, clearly hopeful. He was also feeling out of the loop. This was one case that he was not allowed to be involved in, and not knowing what was going on was driving him crazy.

"No," Syd said, shaking her head gently. Disappointed, Gage went back to eating, and the rest of the lunch was spent in silence.

* * *

It was the middle of the afternoon, and Gage was sitting at his apartment with nothing to do. He had already cleaned his apartment from top to bottom before Sydney had arrived bearing food. After she had left, he had cleaned up the kitchen, and other than finding an interesting duffel bag that he would have to ask Sydney about later, it was utterly boring work. Now, he was just sitting in his living room, staring at some television show he couldn't hear. It had been awhile since he had had an entire day free, and he didn't know what to do without having to go to work. He also was depressed by the complete and total silence, only broken by the ringing in his ears. He knew that even if he was at work, he would still have to deal with silence, but at least there he would have something to do, even if it was just paperwork. With that thought, he left his apartment and hailed a cab.

* * *

Gage stepped out of the taxi at Ranger Headquarters and started heading upstairs, knowing that he was going to be facing a lecture from Sydney. He walked into Headquarters, a place where he spent a great deal of his time, a place where he should have been perfectly comfortable. However, looking around him, seeing all the familiar faces, but not hearing a single sound, other than the buzzing in his ears, he felt out of place. When he looked over at his desk and saw his partner standing there, he felt unbelievable relief flow through him.

On the other hand, relief was definitely not what Sydney felt when she saw him walk into the room. Shock was more like it, and not a little worry. She hurriedly hung up the phone. "Gage?"

"Oh, hey," Gage said, not noticing her speaking.

"How did you get here?" Syd repeated as she walked over to him. He finally realized that she was talking and brought out his handheld communicator.

"Oh, uh, very delicately," he replied after reading what she had said, giving her his most innocent and charming smile. He knew that she was going to be upset with him, after all, she had told him to stay at home and be careful before she had left his apartment earlier that day.

Seeing his attempt at looking innocent, she gave him a half smile. It was typical Gage, and she was almost ready to laugh, but the fact that he could have been hurt overshadowed any amusement that she may have felt.

He looked around and noticed the absence of his boss. "Where's Walker and Trivette?"

Syd answered him, remembering to speak into the handheld communicator part way through her sentence. "Well they, they got a lead on the stolen vehicles."

"Well let's go, let's give 'em a ha-" Gage began, eager to help on the case in any way he could.

Syd interrupted him, "No, no, no, no, they took a chopper, so there's nothing we can do." She waited a moment, trying to see how he would respond to what she said. What she saw made her insides ache. He looked like he felt useless. "Alright?" she asked gently, understanding how he was feeling. "Just... sit down." She reached towards him, placing her hand on back of his arm and guiding him into the chair. "Come on," she said while getting him seated at his desk.

Gage reluctantly settled in behind his desk, still frustrated and bored, but at least he was with Sydney.

* * *

Syd drove Gage back to his apartment after she was done at work for the evening. She still hadn't been able to get up the nerve to tell Gage that she was planning on staying with him. She had told him that she was driving him home; she hadn't told him yet that she wasn't leaving. She followed him into his apartment, deciding that it was now or never. She just had to figure out the best way to tell him.

"Syd?" Gage yelled, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?" she looked up to find him staring at her.

"I think you left a duffel bag here when you came for lunch. I found it in the living room, behind the couch."

Well, it looked like she wouldn't have to find a way to tell him after all. She should have known that he would find the bag, he had probably even figured out that she was planning on staying with him.

"Um, Gage? I left that bag here on purpose." She waited while he read what she had said.

"Yeah? Why?" Gage smiled, knowing exactly what she was going to say and enjoying this discussion immensely.

"Well, I know that it's going to be an adjustment for you, and I wanted to stay with you, for a little while, just to help you... get... adjusted," Syd said, stumbling over her words a bit towards the end. She knew her partner well enough to know that if he thought that she believed that he needed her help, he would never agree to let her stay.

"That's nice of you, Syd, but also completely unnecessary."

"Come on, Gage, it would make me feel better knowing that you were alright. I mean, after all, you could have been killed the other night in that explosion. Please, it would just be for a little bit, and it really would make me feel better." Syd looked up at Gage, with a pleading look on her face, watching as he read what she had said and took a moment to consider his response. She knew the moment that he decided to allow her to stay and didn't even wait for him to give her his answer. She just smiled, and gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Gage. I think I'm gonna go make dinner," she said, ducking around him and heading into the kitchen, leaving him standing there in dumbfounded silence.

* * *

It was a few days later, and Sydney had, once again, just finished making dinner. Gage wasn't eating, but was instead staring off into space. Syd looked at him, trying to figure out a way to cheer him up. "Gage... Gage." She got his attention by putting her hand up in front of his face. She pointed to the plate of food sitting in front of him. "You better eat."

Gage just grimaced and shrugged, saying without words that he didn't feel like it. Syd tried again. "Come on, you gotta eat something, you got to." Gage gestured to his ears, indicating that he couldn't hear her.

She shook her head at his stubbornness. "You... If you don't eat, do you know what's gonna happen to you?"

Gage read the handheld communicator, then looked up at her, confusion evident in his expression. Syd stood slowly, leaning forward and bringing her leg up in his face and in slow motion pretended to kick him. She smiled a goofy smile and sat down again. Gage reluctantly smiled back at her, laughed, and picked up his fork. "I'm eating." The phone in his apartment started to ring, and Syd looked to Gage, half expecting him to answer it. Instead, he pointed his fork at her. "You're a goof." She smiled at his teasing and then gestured that the phone was ringing. She picked up the phone, saying, "Syd."

She then walked over with the phone and sat down at the table. "Yeah... Okay... Thanks." She hung up the phone and looked at Gage. "They found the cars, but not the leaders," Syd said in response to his questioning look. Gage read the communicator and was clearly upset by her response. Syd watched him, worried about him. She reached across the table and got his attention by putting her hand gently on top of his. He slammed down his other hand to pick up the handheld. "Look, Gage. I know this is really hard for you," she said gently.

Gage read her words and could no longer contain his frustration and anger. "How do you know, Syd?" he yelled. "How do you know? Does your head throb right now 'cause your ears are ringing so loud?"

Syd pulled her arms back from the table and put them by her sides, pulling back from him, both physically and emotionally. She stared straight at him as he continued yelling, blinking back tears from her eyes.

"Huh? Are all your colleagues treating you like a five year old? How do you know, Syd?" Gage really looked at her for the first time since he had started to yell. He immediately started to feel horrible as he saw how tightly she was holding herself and the tears she was fighting not to shed. He waited for a moment, then began speaking in a much lower, much gentler voice. "Syd, I'm sorry. You've been wonderful to me."

She pressed her lips together, knowing that he wasn't really angry at her, but simply angry at the world. She cleared her throat and started to eat again, this time without trying to break the silence. Gage was still watching her, feeling terribly guilty about the way he had treated her, but not knowing how to fix it.

* * *

Later that night, after Gage had gone to bed, Syd was lying on the couch, crying quietly. She was crying for many reasons, not the least of which was Gage's reaction to her attempt to comfort him earlier that evening. The hurt that she was feeling as a result of his yelling was overshadowed by her worry about him.

She didn't know what would happen if he never regained his hearing. He would never be able to join her at work again; she would never get her partner back. There was also the risk that he would continue to refuse to accept the fact that his life would have to be different and that he would get himself hurt, or worse. She might lose her best friend, forever. She wouldn't let that happen; she couldn't let that happen.

If worst came to worst, and he didn't get his hearing back, she would find a way to deal with it then, but for now, she'd just have to try and be positive. With that thought in mind, she snuggled down further under the blankets, and tried not to end up crying herself to sleep.

* * *

Gage was having trouble sleeping. He had been tossing and turning for half an hour, and he still was unable to get comfortable. The ringing in his ears was driving him crazy. He longed to hear some noise. Any sound would do, but he especially longed to hear his partner's voice. He had never before realized just how much he appreciated that sound.

But now, with how he had been behaving, she might never speak to him again. When he had looked at Syd from across the dinner table and had seen her curling up into herself and blinking back tears, it had been as if someone had kicked him in the gut.

He rolled over and finally climbed out of his bed, quietly walking towards the living room. He wanted to see Syd. He tiptoed towards the couch, stopping close enough for him to be able to see her in the moonlight. His heart stopped as he noticed the tear tracks on her cheeks. He had made her cry. His partner, his best friend, whom he had never seen cry, had cried herself to sleep that night. Because of him. The guilt that he felt at that moment was almost more than he could bear.

Looking down at her tearstained face, with her features bathed in the silvery moonlight, he noticed once again her incredible beauty. Even when she was crying, she was more beautiful that any other woman he'd ever met, inside and out. She had such an incredible soul and a bigger heart than anyone he'd ever known. She was the best friend he could hope to have, and he had hurt her.

Watching her troubled sleep, he decided that from that moment on, he would do better. She had shown him incredible kindness over the past few days, and he had acted like a jerk. Now that was going to change. He was going to work harder to accept the changes in his life, and would not hurt the people he loved in the process. With that decided, he headed back to bed and was finally able to get to sleep.

* * *

Sydney stood off to the side, watching as the doctor at the hospital looked into Gage's ears. She watched the doctor anxiously, hoping to see some sign that there was hope that Gage would regain his hearing soon. She was disappointed at the look on Dr. Clark's face as he glanced at her before turning back to Gage. "Ranger Gage."

"It's not good, is it?" Gage asked, also noticing the expression on the doctor's face.

"The nerve damage is still there, and the eardrums haven't healed. In fact, they've continued to scar badly," Clark stated, to Gage's obvious distress.

"You said there were other options?" Gage asked, looking for some source of hope.

"Well, the injury is so severe that a conventional cochlear implant won't work. However there is an experimental graft operation, but the chance of success is very small," the doctor said, clearly hesitant about the operation.

Gage read what Dr. Clark had said on the handheld computer and immediately responded, "I'll do it."

The older man reluctantly nodded. "Alright, but on one condition: you check out the Dallas School for the Deaf first."

* * *

The next day as Sydney and Gage walked into the Dallas School for the Deaf, Syd looked around her, trying to find something positive about the place.

"It's cheery," she said, shrugging slightly, knowing that it was going to be hard for Gage to find anything good about the fact that he had to be there. Gage frowned, not understanding what she was saying, and started to reach for the communicator in his pocket. Syd made a motion with her hands and a bright smile and tried again, "Cheery."

"No, no... I'm fine," Gage responded, misinterpreting her motions to mean that she was trying to tell him to cheer up. Syd smiled and shook her head slightly, figuring that it wasn't worth trying to get him to understand. They both turned as a woman walked over to them, smiling welcomingly.

"Rangers? I'm Miss Hamilton."

"Hi, I'm Sydney Cooke, and this is my partner, Ranger Gage."

Gage shook the woman's hand, saying loudly, "Hi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

Gage reached for his pocket and took out the handheld communicator. Miss Hamilton, understanding what he was doing, repeated herself, while also signing what she was saying in sign language. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Dr. Clark told me that you were coming. Let me give you a tour?"

Sydney smiled, glad that this woman seemed to be very friendly. "Great."

Gage waited for the computer to finish writing what she had said and then responded, "Thank you."

As they turned to walk towards one of the classrooms, Syd kept her partner from walking into a group of people that were behind him with a hand on his back, smiling a little sadly as she did so.

While continuing the tour, Miss Hamilton led Syd and Gage into one of the classrooms. The teacher at the front of the room turned and then said and signed to her students, "Oh, here's Miss Hamilton."

Miss Hamilton said and signed, "Hi boys and girls. This is Ranger Cooke and this is Ranger Gage. He recently lost his hearing."

A boy in the class raised his hand with a question.

"Yes, Billy?" Miss Hamilton acknowledged the boy.

Billy signed his question.

Miss Hamilton said, "Billy wants to know, are you a real honest to goodness Texas Ranger?"

Gage smiled as he read what the young boy's question was, then responded, with Miss Hamilton signing for him, "Tell Billy we're both real Texas Rangers." He gestured to Syd as he spoke. "And here's my proof." He reached into his pocket and held up his badge, to the delight of young Billy.

"Oh, let me show you how to sign that," Miss Hamilton said, excited about getting Gage started on learning how to sign. "Proof," she said as she demonstrated the sign for Syd and Gage by slapping her left palm sharply with the back of her right hand.

Syd immediately copied the motion, saying, "Well, that's easy. Proof."

Gage put away his handheld communicator and tried to sign the word. "Proof," he said as he brought his right hand down into his left palm, stopping as his badge cut his hand. "Ow."

As all the kids burst into laughter, Syd smiled gently at her partner, proud of him for trying.

* * *

On only his second day at the Dallas School for the Deaf, Gage was starting to get frustrated. He had been working with Miss Hamilton for the past couple of hours, going through flash cards with different words in sign language on them. "I can't do this!"

"Ranger Gage. If your operation doesn't work, you're going to have to come to terms with your disability first by learning to accept it," Miss Hamilton said, reminding Gage of his promise to himself try harder, if not for his own sake, then for Sydney. With a renewed determination, he turned back to pay attention to what Miss Hamilton was saying.

"During the week that you are here, you are going to learn to listen without your ears. You'll learn to develop your other senses."

It only took Gage until later that afternoon to realize what Miss Hamilton had meant about needing to develop his other senses. His partner had apparently decided that he needed a few years scared off his life. He had been sitting with Billy, working on learning to sign his name, when all of a sudden, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Other than scaring him half to death, Syd had also managed to convince him that he really did need to work on being more aware of the world around him. With an encouraging back rub, Syd then joined him and Billy and started to learn the alphabet.

* * *

Over the next week, Syd was with Gage constantly. Everything he learned, she learned. She watched as he improved with the help of the other students at the Dallas School for the Deaf. She looked on fondly as he worked with the kids, signing for them, "We'll be friends forever, yeah?" She watched with a smile as all the kids nodded, grinning at their new friend. She helped him set up his new Uniphone, which would enable him to answer the phone himself once she left his apartment.

And it was with immense pride several days later that she tried to sneak up on him in the hall, and failed. He turned at the last second, startling her rather than the other way around.

She sighed and with a smile, signed and said, "You're getting better."

"Thank you." He smiled at her, pleased at the obvious pride in him he could see in her eyes. He had no idea what he had done to deserve her, but whatever it was he was incredibly grateful. She hadn't left his side the entire time since the accident.

"You're welcome." She smiled back at him, glad to see his spirit returning.

* * *

At the end of Gage's time at the Dallas School for the Deaf, Sydney and Gage went to say goodbye. Syd really felt a great debt of gratitude for the help that they provided to her and her partner. Thanks to them, she could communicate with him once again. In an attempt to show this gratitude, she signed for all of the students, "Thank you all for helping."

Miss Hamilton replied, "It's our pleasure. Ranger Gage is an excellent student."

"Nah, I got a good partner." Gage nodded his head towards Syd, causing a smile to break out on his partner's beautiful face.

Miss Hamilton, realizing that she hadn't signed her comment from earlier, said, "Ooh, and your lip reading has come a long way."

Gage smiled and replied, "Thank you."

"Especially when it comes to understanding compliments," Syd said, giving him her best innocent smile as he glared at her in response to her comment. While he did not know exactly what she had said, he knew her well enough to know that it was not flattering to him.

"So, Gage. What are your plans?" Miss Hamilton asked, smiling at the interaction between the two partners.

"Ah, get back to work."

"Well, we are all sad to see you go," Miss Hamilton replied, gesturing to the kids.

Gage turned towards the kids in the room and signed to them, "You have all been an inspiration to me." He noticed Billy pacing at the back of the room and headed over to talk to him. He got his attention and sat down in front of him. He signed to Billy, "I must leave." Billy signed something in return, and Gage replied, "I'll miss you too." Gage reached out and gave the young boy a hug.

Syd watched this scene from the other side of the room, thinking to herself what a great father her partner would be one day.

* * *

They had left the school with a promise to keep in touch and let them know how Gage's surgery went, and now Sydney was driving them back to Headquarters. They came to a stop sign at the end of the road and Syd turned to her partner, slapping his thigh gently to get his attention. "Hey, how about a double double cheeseburger, and a super-sized fry?"

Gage winked at her, and then said, "Jalapeño burger."

"Hey, chocolate shake?" Syd signed, smiling. They were both happier than they had been in quite a while. Gage had regained his ability to communicate without the handheld, and Syd had her best friend back.

Gage was smiling and was about to respond, when he noticed a car driving up next to them, with a gun sticking out the window. He yelled, "Syd!" while pushing her head down and covering her with his body, just as the man in the car fired the gun, shattering the car window.

"You okay?" Gage yelled to Syd as they both sat back up brushing shards of glass off of themselves.

"Yeah," she said distractedly while starting to drive after the car. Unfortunately, they were cut off from the other car as a steady stream of traffic kept them from their pursuit.

"Ough. Come on!" Gage yelled in frustration as they watched their attacker's car disappear into the distance.

It didn't take long before Syd and Gage were surrounded by Dallas Police Department officers. Syd was on her cell phone talking to Walker, as Gage leaned against one of the police cars, watching her. She turned and walked over towards him, still talking. "Yeah, Walker, we're fine. I'll just have a DPD officer bring us in. Alright. Bye." She hung up the phone, reaching out to put her hand on Gage's arm. "Thank you."

Gage's actual response was somewhat different from what he was thinking. He knew that he would never let anything happen to her if he could help it, and he was incredibly relieved that he had noticed the approaching car. He didn't even want to think what would have happened if he hadn't. His actual response was to shrug off her thanks with an easy, "You're welcome. You know, Walker was saying that sometimes when you lose one sense, that all the other senses pick up the slack. I guess maybe that's what happened."

"It's a good thing," Syd responded, and Gage nodded his agreement. They then headed back to Ranger Headquarters, hitching a ride with the local law enforcement.

* * *

A little while later, Syd and Gage were sitting at their desks at Headquarters and working on paperwork when the phone rang.

"Company B Texas Rangers, this is Sydney Cooke."

"Sydney, get me everything you can on a Raoul Hidalgo, a.k.a. Skull," Walker said, hanging up immediately after giving Sydney her orders.

Sydney turned to her computer and pulled up all of the information she could find about Raoul Hidalgo. She managed to find a picture, and Gage, who was watching over her shoulder, started pointing to the screen. "That's him."

"That's him?" Syd asked, just to make sure.

"That's him," Gage replied, without a doubt in his mind.

Syd picked up the phone and called Walker back.

"Walker."

"Walker, it's Sydney."

"What have you got?"

"Hidalgo's record reads like a criminal's greatest hits list. Auto theft at fifteen, armed robbery at nineteen, possession, you name it. He was in prison a year ago, but when he got out, he disappeared."

"Any idea where he is?" Walker asked.

"According to the prison phone logs, he made several calls to an old warehouse on B Street just before he got out."

"Okay, meet us there."

"Alright, uh, Walker," Syd paused, turning her head away from Gage slightly before continuing, "Gage is here, too."

"Tell him to stay put."

"Alright." Syd sighed as she hung up the phone. She then turned to face Gage. "Um, I have to go meet Walker and Trivette. Alright... but, um... but he said for you to stay here... Okay?" Syd knew that telling him that he couldn't come with them would hurt him. Personally, she thought that he was ready and could handle this, but it wasn't up to her. Also, she wasn't exactly eager to take any risks with his life.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Gage said, reluctantly sitting back down at his desk. With a gentle pat on his shoulder, Syd turned to leave.

* * *

It didn't take Walker, Trivette, and Sydney long to arrest all of the car thieves at the warehouse. As Syd was looking around, she noticed the absence of their main target. "Hidalgo's not here."

Walker turned to one of the car thieves, demanding, "Where's Skull?"

"Why don't you ask your deaf ranger?" the thief responded.

"Gage," Syd said, feeling her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. She ran out to her car without waiting for permission from Walker and Trivette, speeding all the way to Headquarters. She only had one thought on her mind: Gage was in trouble.

* * *

Gage was sitting at his desk doing paperwork and thinking about his partner. He had really thought that she believed that he could take care of himself now. Apparently, he was wrong. Although, her orders had come from Walker, and she had seemed to be hesitant to tell him that he wasn't allowed to come along.

His musings were interrupted as he got the feeling that someone was behind him. He spun around and in one move kicked the gun out of Skull's hand. They fought, with Gage finally managing to get the advantage. He wrapped his arm around Hidalgo's neck, cutting off his air supply, and held him until he passed out. Gage dropped him down to the ground and reached to grab the gun from behind him. He turned back to the man who had killed Marilyn, a man who had made him deaf, who had turned his life upside down. He pointed the gun at him, almost ready to kill him but at the same time knowing that he couldn't. He emptied the gun and sat back to wait for Walker, Trivette and Syd to arrive.

A minute later his three friends ran in, guns drawn and at the ready. Gage turned to them, and said sarcastically, "Meet Skull." He looked to Walker and Trivette, noticing the look of surprise on their faces. Then he looked at Syd, saw the look of pride on her face, and felt better than he had in weeks.

* * *

A few days later, Walker, Alex, and Trivette were back in the waiting room at the hospital. They all looked up anxiously as they noticed Dr. Clark walking towards them.

"Ah, well, Ranger Gage's operation is complete."

"How did it go?" Alex asked the doctor.

"Well as I said, it was a risky procedure at best, and I'm afraid we won't know whether it's successful until he wakes up."

"Thank you, Doctor," Walker said, reaching to shake the older man's hand.

"You're welcome," Clark replied, hoping sincerely that everything would work out for Ranger Gage.

* * *

Sydney had been sitting by Gage's bedside ever since he had been returned to the room after his surgery. Sitting and thinking. These past couple of weeks certainly had given her a lot to think about.

"You know Gage? There are some things I wish I would have told you when you could actually hear me say them..." she said, brushing the hair back from his face gently. "I love your voice. I just... I just... love the sound of your voice. And every morning, when I wake up, I can't... I can't wait to hear it. And every night, when I go to sleep, I wish you were there. I can't believe I never told you that. I can't believe... I can't believe I never told you how much you mean to me."

"What're you talkin' about, Syd? You don't need to tell me, I already know. You're my best friend," Gage mumbled as he woke up, opening his eyes to look at her.

"Did you hear me?" Syd asked, wanting to wait for confirmation before allowing herself to hope.

He smiled softly at her, and replied, "Loud and clear."

"Oh my God, you can hear?" she shouted in excitement, leaping up out of her chair to throw her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. "It's good to hear your voice."

"I can't believe it! You can hear me, you can really hear me!" She pulled back from his arms, giving him a radiant smile. "I gotta t-" She ran over to the door yelling to the waiting room, "Walker, Walker, Gage can hear! He can hear!" She turned back towards him, and slowly the realization of all that she had said dawned on her. "Hey wait a minute, how.. how long have you been hearing... I mean did you hear... you know... um?" Gage didn't have enough time to figure out what she was talking about as the others ran into the room.

Alex ran over to the bed, giving Gage a quick hug. "Oh my God."

"Talk to me!" Gage said as she pulled back from him.

"Hey bud," Walker said, smiling, relieved that his friend was alright.

"Hey boss," Gage said as he gave Walker a quick hug. Then he turned to accept the hug from Trivette. "Hey."

"Ah Aha," Trivette yelled in his happiness, as he pulled back from his friend, "Remember, you owe me money."

"What, what?" Gage said loudly, gesturing to his ears.

"Oh, he can't hear anymore," Walker said to the amusement of the group of friends.

Syd however, was still trying to get Gage's attention, "Gage... Gage.. how... how.. how long. So how long.. like from right when you came out of the thing, or was it just?"

"Not long Syd, why? Why, do you ask?" Gage smiled, trying to figure out what Syd was talking about.

"N.. No reason." Syd sighed, hoping that his confusion showed that she was in the clear, that he hadn't heard all of what she had said to him. She may have said that she wanted to tell him certain things when he could actually hear her, but truthfully, she wasn't completely ready for him to know how she felt about him.

* * *

**...**

He was sitting in his apartment, looking through a family photo album when there was a knock at the door. Moments later the door opened and she walked in. He turned to face her, noticing that her jacket was undone and her shirt untucked, and she seemed to be upset about something.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Salt Lake City, Utah. Transfer effective immediately." She watched him turn away from her, and still she continued, "I already gave Skinner my letter of resignation."

"You can't quit now, Scully."

"I can, Mulder. I debated whether or not to even tell you in person..."

**...**

"You would never do that to me, would you?" Gage asked as he paused the movie, looking over at Syd who was sitting next to him on the couch.

"Do what to you?" she asked, not knowing quite what he was talking about.

"Decide to resign or something without telling me yourself?"

"Of course not, Gage. Now come on, put the movie back on. I wanna know what's gonna happen." Syd was happier than she had been in a while. She and Gage had decided to celebrate the success of the operation by watching a movie together at his apartment. They had decided on the X-Files movie which neither of them had seen before. So now they were settled on the couch together, a bowl of popcorn between them, stopping the movie every couple of minutes to talk to each other.

"No, I want you to promise me that you won't ever make a decision like that without at least talking to me first." Over the past few weeks, Gage had come to realize just how much he needed Syd as his partner and his friend. He needed her in his life, and he needed a promise from her that she would always be there.

"Of course, Gage. I promise. Come on, you know I love being a Ranger and your partner. I'm not going anywhere, and if I ever was considering it, I would definitely talk to you about it before I made any decisions. Now come on, movie time. If you don't turn the movie back on, I'm gonna have to take custody of the remote," she teased, starting to reach over him for the remote.

"Okay, okay. I'm putting the movie back on." He smiled, satisfied with her response. Then he turned his attention back to the movie.

**...**

"We are close to something here!" Mulder said, before turning to face her again. "We are on the verge!"

"You're on the verge, Mulder. Please don't do this to me," Scully begged.

He stood up and walked over to her. "After what you saw last night, after all you've seen, you can just walk away?"

"I have, I did, it's done."

"I need you on this, Scully."

"You don't need me, Mulder. You never have. I've just held you back," Scully said sadly, trying to ignore the pained look he was giving her. "I gotta go." She turned and walked out into the hall, followed moments later by Mulder.

"You wanna tell yourself that so you can quit with a clear conscience, you can. But you're wrong."

At his words, she stopped walking away and turned back to face him. "Why did they assign me to you in the first place, Mulder? To debunk your work, to rein you in, to shut you down…"

"But you saved me. As difficult and as frustrating as it's been sometimes, your goddamned strict rationalism and science have saved me a thousand times over. You've kept me honest... made me a whole person. I owe you everything, Scully, and you owe me nothing..." Listening to the pained honesty in his voice, her eyes began to fill with tears. "I don't know if I wanna do this alone... I don't know if I can... and if I quit now, they win," Mulder said, pouring his heart out to the woman before him, desperate to keep her from leaving him.

Scully looked at Mulder in complete awe, no longer trying to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. He had never before expressed his emotions to her so clearly, which had left her doubting his affection for her. She walked slowly into his arms, holding him tightly as his arms enfolded her. She pulled back slightly and brushed her lips against his forehead. Then she gently rested her own forehead against his. He pulled back slightly to look at her, cupping her face with both of his hands. She looked into his eyes, her arms resting around his neck, and started to lean towards him. He dipped his head, and just as their lips were about to touch, she pulled back from him suddenly.

"Ow!" Scully said as she reached back towards her neck.

"I'm sorry," Mulder said immediately, fearing that he had done something wrong.

"Something stung me," she said.

He reached down and pulled a bee from the collar of her shirt. "Must've gotten in your shirt."

"Mulder... something's wrong."

**...**

"Gage, why'd you stop it this time? At this rate, it's going to be morning before we finish this movie," Syd teased, not really all that frustrated. The longer it took to finish the movie, the more time she got to spend with her partner.

"Sorry. It's just, that's so ridiculous."

"What's so ridiculous?"

"That scene, I mean, come on. Anyone who's ever seen a single episode of the television show knows that those two belong together. I mean it's so obvious! Now, they get them so close to actually getting together, and then they do something like that! It's so frustrating! What are you smiling about, Syd? Are you laughing at me?"

"Me? Laugh at you? No. Never," she teased him, secretly pleased that he seemed to be a romantic at heart. Personally, she felt the same way about the scene of the movie that they had just watched, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

"Sure, whatever. I'm starting the movie again, okay?" he sighed, thoroughly enjoying her teasing, and loving that he could once again hear her beautiful laughter.

**...**

Mulder was sitting on a bench by the reflecting pool reading a newspaper. He looked up to see Scully walking towards him. When she arrived, he handed her the newspaper.

"There's an interesting work of fiction on page 24. Mysteriously, our names have been omitted. They're burying this thing, Scully. They're just going to dig a new hole and cover it up," Mulder said, clearly frustrated.

"I told OPR everything I know. What I experienced, the virus, how it's spread by the bees from pollen in transgenic crops," Scully said.

He got up and started to walk away, Scully joining him moments later.

"You're wasting your time, Scully. They'll never believe you, not unless your story can be programmed, categorized, or easily referenced."

"Well, then we'll go over their heads."

He stopped walking and turned to face her. "No. No. How many times have we been here before, Scully? Right here. So close to the truth and now with what we've seen and what we know, to be right back at the beginning with nothing."

"This is different, Mulder."

"No it isn't! You were right to want to quit! You were right to want to leave me! You should get as far away from me as you can! I'm not going to watch you die, Scully, because of some hollow personal cause of mine. Go be a doctor. Go be a doctor while you still can," Mulder practically yelled. He had almost had to watch her die, and he was not willing to go through that again. If leaving him was what it took to keep her safe, than he would have to live without her.

"I can't. I won't. Mulder, I'll be a doctor, but my work is here with you now. That virus that I was exposed to, whatever it is, it has a cure. You held it in your hand. How many other lives can we save? Look..." She reached down and clasped his hand in hers. "If I quit now, they win."

He finally gave in, realizing the truth in her words. Still holding tightly to her hand, he walked with her along the reflecting pool, knowing that they would be together wherever life led them.

**...**

As the credits started to roll on the screen, Gage stopped the movie, turning to face Syd. "So, Syd, what'd ya think?"

"I think the ending could have been much better, but it wasn't bad. What'd you think?" Syd said, stretching slightly after hours of sitting in the same position.

"I agree about the ending. Suddenly at the end of the movie, Mulder turns into an idiot. When your partner's in danger, you don't try to get her out of your life. You don't let her out of your sight!" Gage said forcefully. For some reason, while he was watching the movie, he couldn't help but parallel his partnership with Syd to the partnership between Mulder and Scully. And the ending had bothered him more than it should have.

"Even though Scully was only in danger because of being around Mulder?" Syd asked, wondering at the strength of his reaction to the movie.

"Yeah, even though. If he kicks her out of his life, he has absolutely no way to know she'll be safe. If something happens, she's on her own. If he keeps her close, then at least he knows it's in his power to protect her," Gage answered, thinking about how impossible it would be for him to ever leave Syd alone to face any sort of danger.

Syd smiled as she realized what Gage was thinking. "So, I don't have to worry about you kicking me out of your life for my own good any time soon?"

He practically shuddered at the thought of not having her in his life. "Not in a million years."

"Well, good. Because I already told you I'm not going anywhere." She smiled sweetly at him.

Once again, Gage was left to wonder exactly what it was he had done to deserve having her in his life. And he was reminded of something very important that he still hadn't done. "Speaking of which, it occurs to me that I haven't said thank you."

"For what?" Syd asked, wondering what her partner thought he needed to thank her for.

He looked at her incredulously for a moment before he found his voice again. "For what? Come on, Syd. You haven't left my side since the accident! You learned sign language with me; you made me smile when all I wanted to do was sulk; you kept me going, and didn't let me give up. You believed in me when no one else did!"

"Yeah, well what are partners for?" Syd replied, brushing off his thanks. "You would have done the same for me, right?"

"Of course. That doesn't mean that I don't get to say thank you," Gage said softly. His partner truly was an amazing woman. She had put her entire life on hold for him, and yet didn't seem to feel that anything she had done needed his thanks.

"You're welcome," Syd murmured. Suddenly feeling a need to change the subject, she asked, "So other than the fact that the writers clearly have no idea how good partnerships work, what did you think about the movie?"

Recognizing what she was trying to do, he accepted the topic change easily, giving her a smile. "Wasn't too bad. Not my typical kind of movie. How 'bout next Friday you come over, and we'll watch a movie that's more my style?"

Syd looked over at him, loving how adorable he was whenever he smiled. "I'd love to. How about I bring over some food and we'll have dinner beforehand?"

"Sounds great!" He looked over at the clock, surprised to see what time it was. He had been having such a great time with Syd that he hadn't even realized that it had gotten so late. "Geez, Syd, look at the time."

"Oh, how did it get so late? I guess I'd better get going," she sighed. Tonight was going to be the first night in weeks that she wouldn't be staying at Gage's apartment. She had grown incredibly comfortable living at his place. She loved the extra time that she got to spend with him, and they had grown even closer during the time that she was there. Even though the reason that she had been forced to stay with him was horrible, she couldn't bring herself to be sorry about being his roommate.

"Hey, Syd, you look kinda tired. Why don't you just crash here for tonight? I mean, you've already got all your stuff here."

"No, really. I should get going."

"Come on, I don't want to worry about you driving. Just take the couch, please? I'll sleep better if you do."

"Okay, Gage. I'll stay."

"Good, now let's get ready for bed. I'll even give you bathroom access first."

"Oh, why thank you, good sir." She laughed softly.

"Anytime, fair maiden," Gage replied, chuckling.

Sydney leaned over and brushed her lips softly across his cheek. "I'm glad you're okay. Goodnight, Gage," she whispered as she grabbed her stuff and walked towards the bathroom.

"Goodnight, Syd." Gage sighed. "I love you," he whispered to himself once he was sure that she wouldn't be able to hear him.

* * *

To Be Continued


	11. Unsafe Speed Pt 2

Author's Note: Um... Okay, saying I'm sorry doesn't exactly seem adequate here. The only thing I can say in my defense, is that I truly believed that I had already posted this months ago. I only discovered that I hadn't when I logged in a few hours ago, intending to upload an In Plain Sight fic that has been nagging at me lately. So, I took a little time to read through the chapter once more, just to make sure there wasn't a reason I hadn't already posted, and now, it is finally up. I am so very sorry for the ridiculously long wait. I hope you enjoy it anyway, and would love to hear from you if you feel like dropping me a review afterwards.

For those of you who don't remember, this is the second part of my Without a Sound/Unsafe Speed story, the first part of which was posted in the previous chapter.

* * *

Unsafe Speed

When Sydney and Gage returned to work after his operation, things were different between them. It wasn't just that they felt closer to each other, although that was definitely true. They had spent almost every minute of every day together since Gage had been injured, and that had brought the already close friendship and partnership even closer.

However, it was also that they were much more aware of each other. Just as Gage had learned to sense when she was behind him in the hallway of the School for the Deaf, they now seemed to have a stronger sense of where the other was at all times, even when out of sight.

They also found that knowing sign language had made a big difference in their daily lives. Throughout most of their partnership, they had possessed the ability to communicate a great deal of information without speaking, either with a look or a subtle gesture. However, now, they could say anything they wanted without ever opening their mouths. Whether it be a warning in a bar where a fight was clearly about to break out, or a joke shared privately at headquarters, they would frequently use sign without even thinking much about it. While sometimes frustrating to those around them, this tendency had made them even more effective as partners than they had been before.

* * *

A week had passed since Gage's return to work, and Sydney and Gage had just finished doing research for Walker on crystal meth and a biker gang called the Raptors. A trucker named Boyd Scranton had killed a family of three when he had crashed into their minivan, high on crystal meth. The Rangers had arrested the man's dealer, Deke Trumbull, who had, under duress, revealed that the Raptor's had supplied him with the meth. Now, they were at Walker's desk, updating him on what they had learned.

"All right, the crystal meth the trooper took off Scranton is from the same batch of stuff that we took off Trumbull at the truck stop," Gage said.

Syd added her own comments, "And listen to this, the guys at the lab said that they've never seen anything so powerful. Ninety nine point forty four percent pure."

"Really." Walker sat back at his desk, thinking over everything he knew about this case. "What did you find out about the Raptors?"

Syd replied, "They're the toughest biker gang in the Southwest."

"Yeah, they're true one percenters, they're straight outlaws," Gage added.

"There's really no hard info on their criminal enterprises either because no one will testify against them," Syd informed Walker.

"Any idea where we can find them?" Walker asked.

"Most of them hang out at a bar called the Lonestar," Syd replied.

"And it is a nasty joint, Walker. I'm telling you, two Texas Rangers are going to stick out like sore thumbs," Gage told Walker, knowing that he was thinking that they should go to the Lonestar to investigate.

"Yeah, you're right," Walker agreed taking a moment to consider the problem. "But a couple bikers from out of town, won't."

Gage smiled, pointing at himself and Syd. "You mean... uh."

Syd also smiled, realizing that that was in fact what Walker had in mind. "I get my own bike," she said, playfully punching Gage in the side before starting to walk away. Gage groaned, closing his eyes for a moment then turned to Walker with a pained expression on his face. Walker threw up his hands defensively. Gage turned and followed Syd as she practically skipped out of Ranger Headquarters.

* * *

Sydney and Gage took their time doing their research and preparing to go undercover with the Raptors, knowing it would be dangerous if they had any holes in their knowledge of the gang. They then donned appropriate amounts of leather, picked up their bikes, and pulled up in front of the Lonestar.

"Okay, you ready for this?" Gage asked as he dismounted.

Syd responded, "You bet, I've done my homework, I now know more about crystal meth than most chemists."

Gage smiled at her and opened the door, holding it for her. They walked over to the bar, taking off their gloves as they walked.

"How you doin'?" Gage asked the bartender as he sat down.

"What'll it be?" she asked.

Gage responded for both of them, looking to Syd for her approval. "Uh, a couple longnecks?"

Syd nodded. "Yeah." As the woman grabbed a couple beers from behind the bar, Syd decided that the bartender was probably a good place to start establishing their cover. "Hey listen. We've been on the road for a while, do you know where I can score me a pick-me-up, a little boost?"

The bartender replied as expected, "I don't know you from Adam, all right?"

Gage turned to Syd, figuring that they might get more information if they split up. "I'll be right back." She nodded and watched him walk to other end of the room to a scantily clad woman dancing in the corner.

Before long, a man dressed all in leather walked up and grabbed Syd's jacket to turn her to face him. "You look awful lonely little sister."

Syd half smiled and looked over to Gage, wishing that what she was about to say were true. "I'm with someone."

The stranger followed her line of sight to Gage before turning back to face her. "He left you all by your lonesome. That ain't right. If you were my woman, you know how it'd be?"

Syd rolled her eyes and asked sarcastically, "No, how would it be?"

The man leaned towards her, whispering in her ear. From across the room Gage noticed the stranger invading his partner's personal space and felt an intense burst of jealousy. He didn't have to worry about staying in character as he walked quickly over to where she was sitting. He grabbed onto the stranger's arm, pulling him away from Syd, and spinning him around to face him. "She's with me."

The stranger looked from Gage back to Syd and then back to Gage again. He pulled up his arm and hit Gage squarely across the face. Gage didn't even flinch. Instead he looked at the stranger, communicating clearly that he would regret what he had just done. The man pulled back his other arm, preparing to hit Gage with his beer bottle. Before he got the chance, Gage broke the beer bottle with his bare hand, and then proceeded to deliver a spin kick to the stranger's stomach, watching in satisfaction as he fell to the floor.

Another man walked up, having seen what Gage had just done to his friend. Although he was considerably shorter and less muscular than Gage, he didn't hesitate to confront him. "Hey... hey... you're mine boy." He took out his knife and approached Gage slowly.

Gage took his jacket off his one arm, spinning it around his other arm, and began taunting the stranger. "You sure you wanna do that? Come on. Think so? Huh? Huh? Come on? Sure you want some of that? Come on. You want some? Come on." As he spoke, he made sure to show the tattoo on his arm to the man facing him. Syd watched carefully, ready to back her partner up if he should need her, but knowing that he could handle the man in front of him with no trouble.

The man who had started the entire mess by hitting on Syd pulled himself to his feet, noticed Gage's tattoo and put out his arm to stop his friend. "Hold it... hold it... You a Demon?" he asked Gage.

"Yeah. Out of San Bernardino and Southern Cal," Gage replied, not yet letting down his guard completely, but beginning to relax.

"I thought the feds busted all the Demons for cooking crystal meth?" the stranger asked.

Syd turned slightly to participate in the conversation. "Obviously not all of them."

"A lot of brothers went down behind that, but some of us are still on the run. Ronnie here almost went up with the lab. She was our cook," Gage said, looking towards Syd as he spoke.

"You don't say?" the stranger replied, looking thoughtfully at Syd.

"Had the heat on us ever since," Syd said.

"I know how that is." The stranger leaned into Gage before saying, "Didn't know I was hittin' on your old lady, man."

"Don't worry about it. Name's Nail." Gage extended his arm to the stranger, who after a moment reached out and clasped his arm with his own.

"Bolger, Sergeant at Arms for the Raptors. Buy you a beer, Nail?"

Gage nodded and walked towards the bar with Bolger.

* * *

A little while later, Gage and Bolger were playing pool and Bolger was looking thoughtfully at Gage. "So you got the tat. Why aren't you wearin' Demon colors?"

Gage responded without hesitation. "Like I told you, most of my boys are in the joint. The Demons are pretty much gone now."

At that moment, Walker walked into the bar.

Bolger noticed him before Gage, saying, "Texas Ranger."

Gage looked over at Walker before turning back to Bolger. "I gotta get outta here."

Bolger nodded, pointing Gage towards the back of the bar. "Take your lady out back."

"All right." Gage turned and headed towards Syd, angling his head towards the back of the bar. There, they were met by the bartender, who led them into a separate room out back where they could wait for Walker to leave. They were too far away to hear what was happening, but they knew what Walker had planned. His little visit to the Lonestar in search of Nail and Ronnie was supposed to increase Gage and Sydney's credibility as felons.

A few minutes later, Bolger came to the back room, gesturing for them to come to him. "You two better come with me."

"Where?" Syd asked.

"Sanctuary. Come on," Bolger said, walking towards the entrance to the bar, looking back to see if Syd and Gage were following him.

Gage raised his eyebrows at Syd, pretending to be deciding whether to trust Bolger, before turning to follow him out.

* * *

Half an hour later, Sydney and Gage, along with five or six of the others from the bar pulled up in front of an isolated barn by a small pond. As Gage stepped off of his bike he took his jacket off, making sure that his tattoo was visible to everyone around.

The man who was obviously in charge stepped up to where Bolger was standing with Syd and Gage. "You bringin' home strays now, Bolger?"

"Grangus, this is Nail. That's Ronnie. They're on the run. I offered them sanctuary." Bolger held out Gage's arm, showing his boss Gage's tattoo.

"Well, I used to run with a couple a Demons back in the day. You know Clay?" Grangus asked, obviously less trusting than Bolger had been.

Syd rolled her eyes at the question. "Everybody knows Clay. He founded the Demons."

"Well, how's he doin'?"

"He's six feet under," Syd said matter-of-factly.

Gage laughed slightly. "Yeah, he's pretty dead right now. A cop put a slug in him when they raided our lab."

Grangus nodded, still not sure whether to trust them. "What about Billy?"

"Billy was in the lab when it blew," Gage said.

"They found his boot about a half mile away. His foot was still in it," Syd added.

"Well, you know what they say. You dance with the devil you're gonna lose a foot. What about Pokey Joe Tanner? How's he doin'?"

Gage looked at Syd, unsure of what to say. In all of their research, he didn't remember coming across the name. He glanced quickly down at her hand and saw her sign the letter 'n', indicating silently that she had never heard the name before either.

Gage decided to trust their research. "Uh, I don't think I'm familiar with a Pokey Joe."

"Well, hell, neither am I." Grangus laughed. "Welcome. Mi casa es su casa." Then he turned and walked away from Syd and Gage to talk to Bolger, leaving them to be hesitantly welcomed by the rest of the Raptors.

* * *

The next day Syd and Gage were walking around the Raptor's base camp, planning as they went.

"Listen, if we're gonna find the Raptors' meth lab, we're gonna have to get inside Grangus's inside circle," Gage said, knowing that Syd understood that meant they would have to split up. He would have a much better chance of getting in close to Grangus if she wasn't constantly by his side.

Syd nodded, looking down at her clothing. "Well all I know is, the sooner we bust this gang, the sooner I get out of this leather."

Gage looked at his partner, noticing the leather pants, black halter top, and leather jacket that she was wearing. It certainly wasn't her usual look. "Come on Syd, I think you look kind of cute."

As Syd watched Gage walk away from her, she smiled. Her partner, who didn't often comment on her appearance, had said that she looked cute. Her musings were abruptly cut off as someone threw a knife into the ground by her feet.

A woman came around the tree a few feet away and walked towards her. "Drop somethin'?"

Syd picked up the knife and threw it at the woman. The knife embedded itself in the tree just a few inches from the woman's head.

"You almost hit me with that, Girlie."

"The name's Ronnie, and if I wanted to hit you with it," Syd smiled, "you'd be wearin' it."

The woman smiled and said, "Name's Mona, Grangus's old lady, come on I'll introduce you to the other girls."

"Okay." Syd shrugged, glad to have been accepted by the female Raptor so easily. Still she knew that for her and Gage to truly be included in the gang business by Grangus, Gage was going to have to gain his acceptance. She just hoped he found it as easy to accomplish as she had.

* * *

After leaving Syd, Gage had walked towards the garage where he found one of the Raptors working on his bike. "Man, that's a nice old bike you got there."

He turned to face Gage briefly. "Thanks."

Gage walked closer to the bike, looking at what the man was doing. "That's sort of tricky though, you almost need three hands to get that axle through there."

"Yeah, I already busted a knuckle messin' with it."

"Well let's see if we can keep you from bustin' another one," Gage said as he picked up the bike, holding it for the other man.

He looked up at Gage while he was trying to slip the axle into the bike. "The Demons are a tough crew."

"Were..." Gage corrected. "There you go... there you go..." Gage said, setting down the bike after the other man had finished the repair. "Yeah, we heard about you out there, too."

"All the way out in Cali?" the man asked looking up in disbelief.

"Sure, man, you gotta know your competition," Gage replied.

The man chuckled. "Yeah... well, if Grangus has his way, there won't be any competition."

"Is that a fact?" Gage asked, feeling like he was finally making some progress towards getting the information they needed to take the Raptors down.

"Grangus has bold plans. We're taking the product nationwide."

* * *

The next day, Gage was in the garage working on his bike when Grangus and Bolger walked in.

"Nail," Grangus said, and when he realized that Gage wasn't going to be able to hear him, he walked over and turned off Gage's bike.

As the engine stopped, Gage looked up. "What's up?"

"Bolger says your old lady can cook crystal meth," Grangus answered.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, Ronnie's an organic chemist. She was our head chef before the feds busted our lab. As soon as I can get up another stake, man, she's gonna be my meal ticket."

"Well, you might not have to wait," Grangus said.

Gage's brow furrowed in pretend confusion. "What are you drivin' at?"

"Well, Ronnie can cook and that's what I need right now. And you've got muscle and you're not afraid to use it, sounds like a marriage made in heaven."

"What's in it for me?" Gage asked, seemingly reluctant to make the deal.

"Colors." Grangus turned Bolger around, pointing at the Raptor insignia on his jacket. "Raptor colors... I'm inviting you to prospect with the Raptors."

"Well, I already got a club."

"Not like this one, brother. Raptors are top of the heap. Besides that, you said it yourself, the Demons are just about extinct. It's a one-time offer Nail, yes or no? Yes or no?" Grangus demanded.

"Yeah, alright, alright," Gage agreed, smiling at how easy it had been to get the offer.

"Alright." Grangus smiled.

"You gotta be initiated like the rest of us," Bolger added, his first contribution to the conversation.

"Initiated?" Gage asked.

"Oh, I'm sure you can handle it," Grangus said. "Besides that, you know what they say?"

"What's that?" Gage asked hesitantly.

"No pain... no gain." Grangus chuckled, joined by Bolger.

"Right." Gage sighed, hoping the initiation would be something they could work with.

* * *

After Gage had informed her that they were going to be initiated later in the day, he had been called away by some of the other guys, and she hadn't seen him since. Now that it was time for the initiation, Syd was standing in the midst of a bunch of the Raptors, looking for her partner. She finally spotted him walking towards her with his arm around some other girl. The flash of jealousy she felt was probably unwarranted, but she couldn't help it. He must have noticed because he immediately took his arm from around the other woman's shoulders. He walked over to her, placing his arm around her shoulders instead. She didn't look at him, feeling a little embarrassed by her reaction, and instead focusing on all the people around them. Everybody was partying and drinking, while some of them were racing their motorcycles.

Gage turned to Bolger and Grangus who were standing next to them. "I thought this was supposed to be an initiation. Seems more like a party to me..."

"No, this is the initiation party. Now it's time for the test," Grangus explained.

"What kind of test?" Syd asked.

"You gotta prove you got what it takes to be a Raptor," Bolger added as he and Grangus started leading them away from the festivities.

"You gotta commit a felony," Grangus said, smiling.

"We've already done plenty of that," Gage chuckled as he and Syd followed the other men.

"But this time we get to watch. We're gonna ride into town and find somethin' real fun." Grangus looked at his watch. "And we're gonna roll in about ten minutes."

Bolger and Grangus walked away, leaving Syd and Gage alone.

Gage sighed, looking around to make sure they weren't being watched closely by anyone before signing, "Better tell Walker."

Syd signed back, "I know. Cover me," before leaving Gage to keep an eye out for anyone who might be observing them as she snuck off to make the phone call to Walker.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the Raptors, including Gage and Sydney, were riding into town for Nail and Ronnie's initiation. A policeman who was watching the highway pulled out after them, turning on his sirens and pulling them to a stop on the side of the road.

"Man, what's your problem?" Grangus asked as the policeman approached.

"License, registration, proof of insurance on each of you."

All of the Raptors laughed at the cop's request.

"Well first of all, what'd we do?" Grangus asked.

"I clocked you over the legal limit, and I can hear those pipes from two miles away," the policeman stated as he walked over to where Syd and Gage were sitting on their bikes. "License please. Yours too, ma'am."

Gage smirked at the man before replying snidely, "I must have left it in my other jacket."

Syd shrugged as the policeman turned his attention to her. "Me too, I guess you're gonna have to go fishin'."

The policeman looked closely at the two bikers in front of him. "Hey, wait a minute... I've seen you two before." As his recognition registered, the cop reached for his gun, but not quickly enough as Syd and Gage also pulled out their guns and shot him three times in the chest. They watched him fall before putting their guns away.

Gage turned to face Grangus. "Is that good enough, or do we still need to ride into town?" He knew they needed to get away from the body quickly before the Raptors realized there was a suspicious lack of blood on the man they had just shot.

"Oh no, that'll do," Grangus responded quickly.

"Good," Gage said, and they turned around to return to the Raptor's base camp.

* * *

"Well, there are not a whole lot of people with the grit it takes to kill a cop," Grangus said as he stepped off his bike.

"Yeah well, they'd have to kill me first before I'd let 'em put me in a cage," Gage said to Grangus, acting like it didn't bother him at all that he had supposedly just killed a policeman.

"Stuff happens, it is what it is," Syd said nonchalantly.

"Yeah well, it's all the initiation you'll ever need in this club," Grangus said as he handed Gage two Raptor jackets to the cheering of everyone around.

Gage turned and looked at his partner, seeing her smiling at their success. He would like to think that what he did next was to stay in character, but in reality the only thing that was on his mind at that moment was how beautiful she looked. He reached out and put his arm around Syd's neck, pulled her to him, and kissed her. The crowd's increased cheering was what brought Gage back to the real world and reminded him that he had a job to do, and he reluctantly pulled back from her.

"Welcome, bro, you're a Raptor now, it's a whole new world!" The man whose bike he had helped to fix came up to him and shook his hand, welcoming him to the gang.

"You're scary, man, scary. You're family now, brother. Till death do us part," Bolger said as he came over to Gage, clasping his arm in welcome.

"Till death," Gage said, knowing that the other man's death might not be too long in coming.

"Yeah..." Bolger said before turning and walking a little ways away.

"Well, it's time to take a ride, I want you to see the operation," Grangus said, turning once again and getting on his bike.

"Sounds good to me," Syd said also mounting her motorcycle. She was amazed that her voice had come out sounding so normal when she could still hardly even breathe after that kiss. She was also relieved to have a good reason to sit, as she had barely been able to keep herself standing once Gage had let go of her. She'd had no idea her partner could kiss like that, and while she knew that he'd only done it to support their cover, she couldn't help but feel that something a little less earth-shattering would have done the job just as well. Perhaps he had enjoyed the kiss as much, and become as oblivious to the rest of the world, as she had and had gotten carried away. Either way, now was not the time to think about it, as she followed Grangus to the Raptors' drug lab.

* * *

Twenty minutes later they pulled up in front of a small cabin in the middle of the woods. Grangus and Syd went inside, leaving Gage and Bolger outside with the bikes.

Syd spent a few minutes looking at their setup before discussing it with the head cook. "Pseudophedrine is your precursor?"

"Yeah, it's from Mexico. It's not ideal, but they don't use additives."

"You know, you've got a bottleneck right here. If you reroute the coils, you could evaporate into a larger chamber."

"You stall out the chemical reaction."

"No no no, the vapor cools faster, but you could reconstitute the distillate into two vessels if you separate these right here," Syd said, pointing to the coils.

"Doubling the output without sacrificing quality."

"You are a super genius, Doc." Syd smiled and then proceeded into the other room, followed by Doc and Grangus. "Ah, look at this. Here's the other half of your problem right here. The trays can't breathe. What you need is a fine stainless screen, so you can draw the solvents off from the bottom, too."

Doc took a moment to consider. "Yeah we can do that."

"Make it happen, anything she wants." Grangus pointed to Syd. "You are in charge."

"Hey, wait a minute..." Doc started to object, giving in as he received a glare from Grangus. "Whatever you say."

"Give me a week, and I can quadruple your output," Syd said, looking around at the lab.

"I don't have a week," Grangus pointed out.

"I guess I better get to work," Syd replied. She sighed, not exactly looking forward to helping to make crystal meth. Her only comfort was that as long as she and Gage did their jobs correctly, none of these drugs would ever reach the street. And she and Gage had never failed yet.

* * *

Over the next few days, Syd spent a great deal of time in the drug lab, cooking crystal meth, and Gage spent a lot of time transporting that crystal meth. Now, on the day the deal was to go down, Gage was listening to Bolger and Grangus talking while loading some of the drugs into a bag on the back of his bike.

"Go ahead and take this batch down the hill," Grangus said to Bolger.

"Alright, you comin'?" Bolger asked.

"Nope. I'm gonna stay here and make sure everything stays on track," Grangus replied, before turning and walking back into the lab.

"Okay, man. Alright let's saddle up. Take all you can carry," Bolger said to the men around him.

Gage decided that it was now or never for him to find out where they were going. "Where we headed?"

"Rest stop out on Blue Lake Highway. You can follow me," Bolger said to Gage before walking away.

"Alright." Gage turned and pulled out his phone to call Walker.

* * *

Gage was helping the Raptors to load the drugs into the back of a van at the rest stop and listening in on Bolger's conversation with the dealer, Mr. Darby.

"Where's your girlfriend, Grangus?" Darby asked.

"Back at the lab gettin' the rest together, he sent me," Bolger stated firmly.

"Aren't we lucky?" Darby replied sarcastically.

"We got a lot of product, where's the dough?"

"You'll get that when I see the rest of the product."

Bolger spat at Darby and walked away.

Gage headed around to the other side of the van to talk to one of the other gang members. "Hey man, where's this truck goin' anyway?"

The response he received was not what he expected. "Nowhere. This is our little uh drive-thru service. That guy Darby, he has his rigs pull in, we hand them their order to go, and just like that," he snapped, "they're off to... wherever. And by this time tomorrow, there'll be Raptor crystal meth in every state in the union. Hoo-ha!" He turned and grabbed a vial of the drugs, handing it to Gage. "Here give this to that guy."

Gage put the drugs in his vest, walking over to the truck that had just pulled up. "Hey, buddy," he said as he stepped up to lean in the window of the truck. He handed the drugs to the driver and walked away, without ever really looking closely at the man behind the wheel. If he had, he would have noticed the recognition on the other man's face. He also didn't notice the driver stop to talk to Bolger.

"What? What is it?" Bolger asked the driver impatiently as he came to a stop near him.

"That dude back there," he pointed to Gage, "I've seen him before, he's a Texas Ranger."

"You sure?" Bolger demanded, knowing that he was going to be in deep trouble with Grangus if the driver was correct. He had brought Nail and Ronnie into the club personally, and if they turned out to be Rangers, he didn't even want to think about what Grangus would do to him.

"Yeah I'm sure. He busted Trumbull," the man insisted, and unfortunately, Bolger believed him.

* * *

Grangus was in the lab overseeing the clean up when one of his men walked up and handed him a cell phone. "Grangus, Bolger's on the line."

"Yeah, what is it?" Grangus asked impatiently into the phone.

Bolger reluctantly shared the information he'd just received. "It's Nail, he's a Texas Ranger."

Grangus looked at Syd who was standing on the other side of the lab. "You're sure about that?"

"Yeah, one of Darby's mules recognized him. What do you want me to do?" Bolger asked.

"You know what to do," Grangus growled into the phone.

"What about the girl?" Bolger asked.

"I'll take care of that myself." Grangus hung up the phone, considering his options for terminating his new cook.

* * *

A little farther down Blue Lake Highway, Trivette and Walker were pulling over the trucks and confiscating the drugs.

"I tell you what, it keeps going like this, we're not gonna have room for all these trucks," Trivette said to Walker, as they walked up to the truck that had just pulled up. "Shut it down!" he yelled to the truck driver. "Come on out."

"Afternoon, Rangers. Is there... is there a problem?" the driver asked nervously as he stepped down from his truck to talk to them.

"We need you to wait here while we search your vehicle, sir," Trivette said to the anxious man.

"Ranger Walker, he's carrying meth," the officer who was searching the vehicle informed them a moment later.

"Haven't I seen you before?" Trivette asked after getting a closer look at the driver.

Walker looked at the man again, realizing why he looked familiar. "He was at the truck stop when we arrested Trumbull. He saw Gage there!"

"Did you say anything to them about that Ranger?" Trivette asked the driver.

Walker grabbed the man's jacket, asking him again, "Did you spot him?"

"Yeah, yeah I did," the driver reluctantly admitted.

Walker and Trivette walked away, hurrying to get to the rest stop where Gage and the other Raptors were, before it was too late for the younger Ranger.

* * *

Gage was still loading the drugs into the back of the van when Bolger walked up to where he was standing. "Oh hey, you know what? It's gettin' a little thin on product here, you want me to ride up the hill and get some more?" Gage suggested, eager to be closer to Syd when they finally took down the Raptors.

"Yeah, you know I was thinking you and me should take a run up there together," Bolger replied.

"Right on," Gage said and started to walk away with Bolger at his side. Bolger then pulled out his gun and jabbed it into Gage's ribs.

"Hey... hey, what's this all about?" Gage asked, holding up his hands in a protestation of his innocence.

"It's about you dyin', Ranger," Bolger growled, emphasizing the last word. "I can't believe it, I saw you kill a cop."

"Can't believe everything you see," Gage said mockingly, managing to appear calm even though he was terrified. Not for himself, but for his partner. If his cover was blown, that meant that Sydney's was as well. And it would take him at least fifteen minutes to get to her, if he pushed it.

"I'm gonna see you die for sure," Bolger said and aimed his gun at Gage.

"Hold it!" Trivette yelled as he and Walker ran up to where the two men were standing. Bolger turned, giving Gage the opportunity to kick him, knocking the gun from his grasp. Gage then proceeded to hit him over the head with his own gun.

"Walker, we gotta get to Sydney. She's at the lab with Grangus," he yelled.

"I got this," Trivette said, moving to arrest Bolger and the other Raptors with the help of the local police officers who had just pulled up.

Gage and Walker ran and got on the two closest motorcycles and took off to get to Sydney at the drug lab.

* * *

Grangus waited until he had watched the last of the drugs loaded onto his bike before walking into the lab to deal with the lady Ranger who had infiltrated his operation. "I'm givin' everybody the rest of the day off, especially you, Ronnie," he announced.

Then he walked over to Syd and hit her across the face with his gun, watching as she fell to the ground. "Or whatever your name is... everybody out," he said as he took her gun from her and handcuffed her to the nearby table. It took only a few seconds for everyone to clear out of the small cabin, leaving Sydney alone with Grangus and unable to free herself.

"Life is a terminal disease, and you're gonna find out what it's like to be infected," he told her, then walked over to the other side of the room to two tanks on the wall filled with different chemicals. "Thought I'd give you a chance to think about it," he said as he pushed a button on the tanks, which then started to beep. "When these tanks empty, you're gonna find out what if feels like to fly," he said as he walked away, turning back to finish his statement, "'cause this place is gonna blow sky-high!" With that final comment that sounded to Syd like some sort of oddly deranged poetry, he left her with nothing to do but hope that Gage was alright and that he would come for her in time.

* * *

Walker arrived at the drug lab first, jumping off his bike and tackling Grangus to the ground. Gage pulled up a second later, barely sparing a glance for the fighting men as he jumped off his bike and started running towards the lab.

"Syd! Syd!" he yelled, panicked that Grangus had already killed her. He walked into the lab and looked around frantically for his partner. "Syd!"

"Gage, over here!" Syd cried in relief.

"Syd!" He ran over to her, brushing his hand over her cheek. "Are you alright?"

"It's gonna blow..." Syd looked over her head at the two tanks that were almost empty. Gage followed her gaze and realized that they did not have much time left.

"We gotta get out of here," she said, trying to get Gage's attention back on setting her free. He looked down, and checked the table leg, hoping that he would be able to shake it loose easily. Unfortunately, the table leg was holding firm.

"Come on... come on," Syd said impatiently, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. If he couldn't free her in a moment, however, she was going to have to send him out without her.

Gage stood, kicking the stubborn table leg, careful not to hit Syd's arm as he did so. He was determined that he would get her free and out of there safely. There was simply no other option.

Finally, he felt the table leg give way. He pulled the leg loose and freed the handcuffs from it before turning to face Syd. "Give me your arm, give me your arm!" he said urgently, pulling her arm around his neck and picking her up. As soon as he had her firmly in his arms he ran out of the building. "Walker it's gonna blow!" he yelled as he ran, trusting that the other man would be able to get out of the way before the lab blew. He ran behind a tree with Sydney, setting her down gently and shielding her from the debris with his body as the building exploded.

After everything settled down after the explosion, Gage pulled back slightly from Syd, looking down at her with concern. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've got a bit of a headache from when he smacked me across the face with his gun, but I'll be fine." She sighed, feeling like she was finally able to relax and enjoy the sensation of being in his arms.

It was only as she mentioned that Grangus had hit her that Gage noticed the dark bruise that was forming on her cheek. He reached out and brushed his fingers delicately over the mark. "Sorry, I didn't know I was made until Bolger pointed a gun at me, or I would have been here sooner."

"You got here just in time." Syd smiled, wondering if he realized that he was still lying on top of her. Not that she minded, not at all. He seemed to have realized the same thing just as the thought crossed her mind, and he pulled back from her completely and stood. She was surprised when he leaned back down, placing his arms under her knees and around her shoulders and lifted her up into his arms once again. She almost sighed in delight, but still felt the need to protest as he walked over to Walker with her in his arms. "Uh, Gage? I can walk, you know?"

"Really? I'm glad," he said, not making a move to set her down. She gave up without a fight, and settled further into his arms, resting her head against his shoulder. He walked over to where Walker was handcuffing Grangus and looked around at what was left, noticing that only two of the motorcycles had survived the explosion.

"Walker, why don't Syd and I share one of the bikes and you and Grangus can take the other? That way we don't have to walk all the way back, although I for one wouldn't object if you wanted to make Grangus walk." In truth, he wouldn't have objected if Walker had shoved the other man into the cabin just before it had exploded. However, that wasn't something he was going to mention to his boss.

"Good idea, Gage. Sydney, are you alright?" Walker asked, wondering why Gage was carrying Sydney. He hoped that she wasn't injured badly.

"Yeah, I'm fine Walker, just glad you two showed up when you did." She smiled, wincing slightly when her aching jaw protested the action.

"Okay, let's get going, I'm sure Trivette's wondering what happened to us." Walker said as he moved over to one of the bikes, choosing, rather charitably, to let Grangus ride with him. He started up the bike and drove off, leaving Syd and Gage behind.

Gage gently set Syd down before moving to straddle the bike. Once he was settled he turned to her, gesturing for her to get on the back of his bike. "Hop on."

She climbed on behind him, reaching an arm hesitantly around his stomach to hold on.

"Syd, you'd better hold on tighter than that, it's a pretty bumpy ride. Wouldn't want you falling off," Gage said as seriously as he could when really he just wanted her closer to him. He was delighted when she moved herself forward, putting both arms around his waist and pressing herself tightly up against his back. He found the feel of her behind him to be both reassuring and highly enjoyable. He grinned impishly, and turned slightly to face her. "You know, Syd? I kinda like having you on the back of my bike."

"Well, don't get used to it, I've got my own bike," she responded, looking over to where she had left her bike. She sighed when she saw the pieces that used to be her motorcycle. "Or at least, I did."

"Let's go. Hold on," he said and started up the bike, following the same trail that Walker had taken back to the highway. As they rode, Syd snuggled in even closer to Gage, turning her head and resting it lightly against his shoulder and closing her eyes. She felt safe knowing he was so close and was finally able to relax. Gage smiled gently, loving that she was so comfortable with him.

* * *

By the time they reached the highway, Syd was almost asleep. As Gage turned the bike off, she didn't even stir. He looked back over his shoulder and noticed that she had her eyes closed. He smiled at the fact that she had basically fallen asleep while riding on a motorcycle on a bumpy trail through the woods. He gently started to rub her arms which were still wrapped tightly around his waist.

"Syd. We're here," he said quietly. He felt her begin to stir and regretted the fact that she wasn't using him as a pillow anymore.

"Mmmm..." She sighed as she stretched, still without opening her eyes. She looked so adorable, and he realized that he would love to watch her wake up every morning. She opened her eyes, shaking herself awake as she realized where she was. Gage had stopped the bike about twenty feet away from where the majority of the policemen were, giving her a little privacy while she was waking up. She turned to face him and saw him smiling at her. "You make a good pillow."

"Glad to be of service. Now what do you say we get those bracelets off of you? They really aren't your style." He chuckled, watching her tug a bit at the handcuffs still attached to her right hand.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

They walked over to where Walker and Trivette were talking to a bunch of the Dallas Police Department officers. "Hey, guys? Does anyone have a handcuff key we could borrow?" Gage asked, gesturing to Syd's arm. After one of the policemen walked over and took the handcuffs off, Gage noticed that her wrist was raw and bleeding from her struggles against the restraints.

"We should get that wrist bandaged up," Gage said as he lifted her arm slightly to look at the damaged wrist.

"Nah, it'll be fine," Syd answered, having not even noticed the pain in her wrist until then.

"We don't want it getting infected, do we? I'll bandage it up for you later," Gage suggested as a compromise, seeing her nod of acceptance. "Hey, Walker? Do we need to hang around here for this? I think we're both pretty tired."

"No, Gage. We'll need you to make statements and fill out some paperwork, but that can wait. Why don't you both go home and get some rest, take tomorrow off, and we'll talk about all of this Monday morning."

"Great, thanks Walker. We'll just hitch a ride with one of the DPD officers. See ya guys." Gage waved goodbye to his friends, leading Syd over to one of the local police officers. "Can we get a ride?"

"Sure, hop in," the officer agreed gladly, holding the door open for the two Rangers to get in the car.

* * *

They pulled up in front of Gage's apartment a little while later, and Gage dragged Syd upstairs with him, ignoring her protests.

"But, Gage! I'm fine, I just want to go home and get some sleep," she said for what seemed like the hundredth time as he led her into his apartment.

"Come on, just let me bandage your wrist for you and then I'll drive you home. Okay?" He wasn't eager to leave her alone at her apartment. Not too long ago he had thought that she was dead. He was going to keep her within his sight for as long as possible.

"Fine," she sighed as he led her over to the couch and then left the room to get his first aid supplies. A minute later he was back and kneeling on the floor in front of her, carefully cleaning the cuts before rubbing an antibiotic cream into the wounds. Then he gently wrapped the bandages around her wrist.

She sighed looking down at her newly bandaged wrist. "Thanks, I have to admit, you did a better job than I would have."

"Anytime, now how about I get you an ice pack for that bruise?" he offered reaching up and gently brush his fingers across her cheek.

"I can do that when I get home," she said. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the feel of his fingers on her face.

"Come on, just stay here and rest for a bit. We'll grab a bite to eat and then we'll put on a movie or something and just relax. I'll even let you use me as a pillow again." He grinned teasingly.

"Oh well in that case." She smiled back at him, making herself more comfortable on the couch as he went into the kitchen to grab an ice pack. When he came back into the room he wrapped the ice pack in a thin towel and pressed it gently up against her cheek, brushing her hair out of the way as he did so. "Thanks," she said and raised her hand to replace his holding the ice pack to her face, smiling slightly as their hands brushed up against each other.

He turned away after a moment and headed back into the kitchen to find something for them to eat. He found some leftover pizza and threw it in the microwave before bringing it out to the living room. They were both rather hungry and the food was gone within minutes. After cleaning up after their dinner, he put a movie into the VCR, returning to the couch as the movie started. He sat on the other end of the couch and was startled when she shifted closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder.

"What? You said I could use you as a pillow," she said in response to his questioning look. He smiled and settled his arm around her shoulders, leaning back into the couch and finally relaxing.

* * *

As the end credits for the movie started rolling, Gage looked down at Syd, smiling as he noticed that she was sound asleep. Careful not to jostle her enough to wake her, he leaned forward, switching off the TV. He leaned back again, brushing the hair back gently from her face. She was so beautiful, even with the large bruise that was forming over her jaw and cheek. He loved her so much and wanted desperately to kiss her. When he had kissed her the other day after their initiation into the Raptors, everything around them had faded, leaving her as the only thing in the world as far as he was concerned. When he had pulled back from her, she had looked up at him with a look he couldn't quite identify in her eyes. All he knew was that it was a look that he wanted to see again.

When he had arrived at the drug lab and saw Grangus leaving, he was terrified. He was half expecting to find Syd dead on the floor of the lab, and the relief he felt when he saw her alive was tremendous. He didn't know what he would do without her in his life, and he never wanted to find out.

He brushed her hair away from her face once again, before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. As he did so, she started to stir. Moments later she opened her eyes, looking up at him. She raised her head slightly to look him in the eyes. Gage's eyes fell to her lips, now only inches away, and he couldn't resist the temptation. He lowered his head slightly, giving her plenty of time to pull away, before gently brushing his lips against hers. He pulled back slightly, seeing a pleasantly surprised look on her face, and then leaned forward to kiss her again. This time, she kissed him back.

They had kissed twice before, but both would consider this to be their first real kiss. It was soft and slow, and filled with incredible emotion. The kiss spoke of their love, without either of them saying a word. Neither one of them had ever experienced anything like it before in their lives. Time seemed to stop, and all that existed in the world was the two of them. When they finally pulled back from each other, they were both breathless. They simply stared at each other in silence, communicating without words everything that they were feeling at that moment.

Finally, Sydney broke the silence with a gentle smile on her face. "What a way to wake up."

Gage chuckled, leaning forward for one more quick peck on the lips. "Stay tonight?" he asked quietly, realizing his mistake as she pulled away from him slightly, looking uncomfortable. "Let me hold you while you sleep tonight?" He smiled when she looked up at him in mild shock. "You gave me quite a scare there earlier, I thought you were dead. I just want to hold you for the night. I need to know you're alright so that I'll be able to sleep tonight."

She smiled softly at him. "I'd like nothing more. You really do make a great pillow you know?"

"Yeah, well there's no one I'd rather have sleep on me than you." He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before pulling back once again and standing. "Come on, let's go to bed." He reached out his arms to help her up off of the couch.

"Uh, Gage? I don't have anything to wear," she pointed out to him as he led her back to his bedroom.

"Exactly." He winked teasingly at her, throwing up his arms and backing away slightly at the glare he was receiving from her. "Okay, okay. Don't worry, I'll find something you can wear." He went over to his dresser, rummaging around for a minute, purposefully picking out one of his larger t-shirts and a pair of his boxers, before turning and handing them to her. He pointed her towards the bathroom for her to go get changed. When she returned his jaw almost hit the floor. The shirt was hanging off of her, and he had never imagined that seeing her wearing his clothes would be as much of a turn on as it was. He blushed slightly as she caught him staring at her. She smiled gently at him and he turned and headed into the bathroom to get changed.

As she watched Gage disappear into the bathroom, Syd found her attention focused on the bed. She was nervous. There was no reason for her to be nervous, this was hardly any different from when she had just slept in his arms out on the couch. But at the same time, it was different. She was about to spend the night in Gage's arms in his bed. It seemed like they were skipping a few steps. They had just shared their first kiss and now they were spending the night together. At the same time, they had been partners for three years and were best friends. They were closer to each other than to anyone else, so their relationship probably would proceed differently than if they were strangers. She was shaken out of her musing as he returned from the bathroom wearing boxers and an undershirt.

He was surprised to find her still standing where he had left her. He knew that she was aware of which side of the bed he usually slept on from her time living with him while he was deaf. He also happened to know that while he always slept of the left, she preferred the right. So he had to wonder why she wasn't already in the bed.

She smiled shyly at him in response to his quizzical look. Gage noticed then that she was nervous and walked over to her. "Syd, if you're uncomfortable, one of us can take the couch. I just thought that I'd sleep better if I could hold you, knowing that you're alright." He brushed her hair back from her face as he spoke, gently grazing his fingers over her bruise.

She smiled and placed her hand over his on her face. "Thanks, I think that was what I needed to hear." She rose up and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth before turning and pulling down the sheets on the bed before climbing in. Gage turned off the lights before making his way back over to the bed. He climbed in next to her and opened his arms to her. She rolled over, resting her head on his shoulder and putting her arm over his stomach, and then tangling one of her legs with his. After a moment's shock for how she settled herself into his arms as if she'd been doing it for years, he wrapped his arms around her. It felt right to be this close to her. He turned his head, pressing a kiss to her temple before closing his eyes and falling into a deeply content sleep.

* * *

Syd woke up slowly the next morning, trying to figure out what was different. It was when she felt her pillow move that she realized what it was. She wasn't alone. She opened her eyes slowly, looking at Gage's still peaceful features. She smiled, remembering everything that had happened the night before. She rested her head back on his shoulder, not closing her eyes but just watching him. He must have felt her looking at him because before long he started to stir. She watched as his eyelashes started to flutter slightly before his eyes opened slowly. She watched as his brow furrowed in a moment of confusion before recollection dawned.

"Hey," he said quietly as he smiled gently at her.

"Hey." She smiled, raising herself up and placing a quick kiss on his lips.

"Mmm... nice way to wake up," he mumbled sleepily.

"Yeah... I'm gonna go see about getting some breakfast together," she said as she gave him one more kiss before pulling out of his arms and jumping out of the bed. She was gone before he could protest the loss of her warmth against him.

He got up a few minutes later, padding into the bathroom. After splashing water on his face to help wake him up, he headed back out to the kitchen. He walked over to Syd who was at the stove making omelets. He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck. "What's for breakfast?"

"Omelets," she replied, forgetting what she was supposed to be doing as she focused only on the feel of his lips against her neck. She sighed in regret when he pulled away from her a moment later, but realized quickly that she had been in danger of ruining their breakfast, and it was probably a good thing that he had moved away to get the drinks and set the table.

Gage marveled briefly at how easy and natural it felt to be waking up and preparing breakfast with his partner. However, it only took him a moment to realize that not only had they always worked together seamlessly as partners, but they also had fallen into an easy routine while she had lived with him for the few weeks he had been deaf. The only thing that had truly changed since then was that they were sleeping in each other's arms and sharing kisses freely while accomplishing together whatever needed to be done. And that was a change that Gage was entirely comfortable with and could easily get used to, he thought to himself, as he stole another kiss when Syd came over to hand him his plate.

"Mmm... this is great," Gage said through a mouthful of omelet a moment later. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both simply enjoying the meal and the time spent together. When they were almost done eating their breakfast, Gage broke the companionable silence. "You know what? We never got around to that movie we were going to watch a couple weeks ago and you slept through the one last night. So how about we go for a walk in the park and then come back here for some lunch and a movie?"

Syd looked across the table at Gage who was smiling charmingly at her. She shook her head, realizing that he could convince her to do anything just by smiling at her that way. "Sounds good to me, but do you think you could drive me home first? I really don't think that I should go for a walk in what I'm wearing now, and I really don't want to get back in all that leather."

"Of course." He chuckled at the image of her walking through the park wearing only his t-shirt and boxers, but soon stopped laughing as he realized that would mean other men would see her dressed like that. "Yeah, we should definitely get you some other clothes."

* * *

After they had cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast and Gage had gotten dressed, he had taken Syd to her apartment for her to get changed. Once she was dressed comfortably in jeans and a t-shirt, they had headed over to the park for their walk. Most of the time was spent chatting about anything and everything, but they also spent a good amount of time simply walking in comfortable silence and looking at the signs of spring in the park around them. Partway through their walk, Gage had reached over and tentatively held out his hand to her. She took it in her own, and the rest of their walk was spent holding hands.

* * *

"Gage, that movie was horrible," Syd complained.

They had returned to Gage's apartment and had a nice lunch before turning on the movie. It had only been playing for a few minutes when Syd had started teasing Gage mercilessly, and she hadn't run out of ammunition for the entire two hours.

"Oh, come on, Syd, that's one of my favorite movies," Gage said defensively, nevertheless enjoying her teasing immensely.

"Yeah, next time, I get to pick the movie."

"Great, I'm gonna be stuck watching a chick flick." Gage groaned, pulling back from her as she punched him in the side. "Sorry, sorry."

"I watched your movie, now you get to watch my movie."

"Fine. How about we go get your movie in a little bit and then we'll watch it after dinner tonight? I'd love to spend the rest of the day with you." And another movie would mean another chance to hold her in his arms, which was fast becoming one of his favorite things to do.

There was that charming smile again, and Syd sighed in joyful surrender. "I'd love to." She was eventually going to be in real trouble if she couldn't figure out how to say no to that smile. However, for now, she just couldn't really bring herself to care.

* * *

As Syd settled into her bed late that night she sighed, feeling incredibly lonely without Gage's arms around her. In only one night, she had grown used to cuddling with him. Despite the fact that she had only said goodnight to him an hour ago, she already missed him. She knew it was ridiculous but after the weeks she had lived as his roommate, the time that they had spent together on this latest case, and then the past day and a half, she was used to having him around.

She sighed as she rolled over, pulling the covers closer around her, missing Gage's warmth beside her. She couldn't wait for work in the morning, when she'd be able to hear her partner's voice and see his smile. After lying awake for another hour, Syd finally realized that although she had no choice but to wait to see him, she could still hear his voice. Without another thought, she reached her hand out and picked up the phone. It was only after the phone started to ring that she remembered what time it was. She was about to hang up when she heard him answer.

"Hey there, Shorty. You know I never realized just how big and empty my bed was until you weren't in it with me."

"Well, I never realized just how uncomfortable my pillows were until you let me sleep on you. I miss you," she murmured quietly, feeling surprisingly self-conscious at the admission.

He smiled gently as he heard the shy statement, having never known his partner to be anything but confident. "I miss you, too. I'm starting to think this isn't going to work."

She bolted upright in bed, scared to death to know what he meant by that. But she had to ask. "What do you mean?"

When Gage heard the slightly panicked tone to her question, he suddenly realized how what he had said must have sounded to Syd and quickly set about reassuring her. "I mean that we've been apart for about two hours, and we're already going nuts missing each other. I mean that I'm starting to think that I'm never going to be able to sleep again without you in my arms. I mean that I don't think that living this far from the woman I love is going to work for me."

As Syd listened to his heartfelt words, she felt the relief flow through her. He wasn't doubting their relationship. She was so glad that she almost missed exactly what he was saying.

He took a quick breath and asked his next question with cheerful confidence. "So, Syd. My place, or yours?"

"My place or yours for what?" she asked, genuinely confused.

Gage smiled. It was so unlike his partner to be this slow to understand him. Usually she knew what he was thinking before he even spoke. "To live. Weren't you listening?" he asked, teasingly.

"Uh, Gage, are you suggesting that we move in together? After we've been in a relationship for exactly one day?" she asked, a little incredulously.

"Oh come on, Syd. We've been in a relationship for three years, we just didn't know it yet. And I'm not suggesting that we move in together," Gage replied emphatically. "I'm insisting that we live together." His suggestion had to do with a ring and forever, but that was not something he was going to mention over the phone in the middle of the night. "Look, it's late. We can talk about details of where we live and when we move tomorrow. Right now, all I need is a yes or no from you." He held his breath while he waited for her response. For all his apparent calm and confidence, he was still in uncharted territory and was scared to death she would say no.

She was surprised at how little thought was actually necessary. "Yes," she whispered, smiling when she heard his sigh of relief.

"Okay, then let's go to sleep. We've got to be at Headquarters bright and early tomorrow. You know, I don't think I've ever been this eager to get to work?"

She smiled, knowing she had just been thinking the exact same thing earlier in the night. "Me either. I love you, Gage."

"I love you, too."

It wasn't long after that the two partners were finally able to fall asleep, with smiles on their faces, love in their hearts, and phones pressed up against their ears.

The End


	12. Deadly Situation

Author's Note: Wow, I actually can't believe it's been 2 years since I posted. But at least I'm finally writing again! As you can see, I've finished the chapter for Deadly Situation that's been sitting half-finished in my computer for more than 2 years. I also have finished a good chunk of the Reel Rangers fic I promised to write. I'm hoping to get that one up soon.

Thank you to moviemom44 for her beta work and encouragement. And thank you to anyone who has reviewed over the past couple years. Knowing you're still out there reading this story helps motivate me to write more.

Anyway, here's the new chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Deadly Situation

"Hey, Ranger Babe. Comin' right atcha!"

Gage turned his head slightly to his left to see exactly which Sage City police officer had made the obnoxious remark. He wasn't surprised when he saw that it was Officer Rogers. The man had been hitting on his partner all day. Fortunately, as far as Gage was concerned, she didn't seem to be very pleased by his attentions.

"Give it your best shot," she called back to him.

Gage turned his attention from the man standing on first base to the man at bat. He took a minute to get his head back into the game before throwing out his pitch. Lieutenant Shell connected with the ball, sending it flying straight towards Trivette. Trivette grabbed it and threw it over to Syd. Gage turned and watched as she plucked it out of the air, stepped on the base, leapt at least five feet into the air over Rogers as he slid into second, and sent the ball flying to Walker on first.

Gage and the other Broncos cheered as the double play gave them their three outs. He came down off the pitcher's mound and turned to find his partner to congratulate her on a remarkable play. He laughed out loud when he overheard her remark to Rogers, who was still lying in the dirt.

"Maybe you oughta take up golf," Syd suggested to the officer with a smile. Her smile widened as she heard her partner's laughter at her comment, and she turned her attention away from the obnoxious man at her feet to go celebrate the play with her friends.

The police baseball game was over not long after that. The bases were loaded and Walker was at bat. His grand slam home run sent the score to 6 to 5, in favor of the Texas Rangers' B Company Broncos over the Sage City Lions.

While Sydney was working her way down the line of Sage City police officers, accepting their congratulatory high fives, she was suddenly held up as Rogers grabbed onto her hand and refused to let go.

"Hey. Pretty good for a girl," he said and used his hold on her hand to pull her towards him.

She managed to keep the smile on her face and to respond with a polite, if hesitant, "O-kay," as she pulled away, rather than causing him bodily harm for grabbing her.

Gage, however, had no desire to even try to be polite. He had watched Rogers leer at Sydney all day, and when the man wasn't hitting on her, he was making some sort of demeaning comment. When he grabbed onto her arm and didn't let go, and then pulled her up against him, that was it for Gage.

He waited until Sydney had left and approached Rogers, who was watching her walk away with a smirk on his face. Gage grabbed the other man's shoulder and spun him around to face him. He tried to keep his voice calm as he warned, "If you're smart, you won't touch her again."

Rogers laughed in his face. "Oh, yeah? And what are you going to do if I do?"

Now it was Gage's turn to laugh. "Me? I won't even need to do anything," he responded. "Sydney will wipe the floor with you without any help from me. Although, just 'cause she won't need my help, doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy helping. In fact, I'm kinda looking forward to it." Gage smiled as he walked away, ignoring whatever comeback the other man might have come up with.

* * *

Later that evening, Walker, Trivette, Gage, and Sydney met up with some of the Sage City police at a local bar to celebrate their victory over beer and snacks.

"All hail the flip to second base that starts the double play that put your butts on ice, gentlemen," Trivette said as he brought over several pitchers of beer for the table.

Everyone at the table either laughed or groaned as Trivette tried to claim sole credit for the win. Sergeant Wiley gestured towards Sydney, and asked, "Wait a minute, this has nothing to do with this lady who jumped ten feet in the air and threw a strike to first?"

"I'm not saying that," Trivette answered, backtracking a little.

"Lieutenant, mind if we use the police gym for a little work out while we're in town?" Gage asked, gesturing between Syd and himself. It had been a while since they had last sparred together, and he figured this might be the perfect time. At least they weren't on a case at the moment.

"You got it," Lieutenant Shell said.

Gage turned to face his partner. "Feel like going a couple rounds there, Shorty?"

Rather than answer him verbally, Sydney brought up her leg from under the table and kicked towards his face, glaring at him for calling her Shorty. She smiled as he blinked hard and recoiled slightly.

Walker laughed at his two youngest Rangers before turning to Alex. "So are you ready to call it a night?"

"You bet. Well, it's been fun," Alex said as she started to get up to leave.

"Wait a minute, you guys can't go. The celebration's just getting started," Gage said, gesturing to all of the beer still to be drunk on the table.

"Well, have a good time," Walker said as he stood, putting his arm around Alex's shoulders.

"Old folks need their rest," Trivette teased his friend, much to the amusement of everyone else at the table.

"I didn't say anything about being tired," Alex said, looking questioningly at Walker. "Are you tired?"

"Not one bit." Walker grinned impishly at the rest of them.

"Aww, guys. Come on." Gage groaned as he realized what Walker and Alex were implying. It wasn't that he wasn't happy for the newlywed couple; he just didn't want to have to think about his boss that way. He watched as they left, thinking about how it sometimes seemed like they'd been together forever although they'd only actually gotten married recently. And as had happened to him every single time he thought about the wedding, Gage found his thoughts drifting to his partner and the kiss she had planted on him that night.

Ever since then, he had wanted to talk to Sydney about the kiss and what it meant to her, but he had felt that he should at least try to figure out what it meant to him before starting the conversation. Which was why a month had passed and he had yet to say a word. Actually, if he were honest with himself, that was only part of the reason he hadn't said anything. The other part was that he was afraid. He wasn't afraid of the actual conversation, so much as he was terrified that his partner was going to tell him that the kiss hadn't meant a thing to her. Terrified because in the past month, he had realized that the kiss meant everything to him.

* * *

Sydney noticed that after Walker and Alex had left, Gage had suddenly become quiet. She looked more closely at him and realized that he seemed to be deep in thought. She decided not to disrupt his uncharacteristic introspection by trying to engage him in conversation. Instead, she sat quietly as well, paying attention to the other men at the table and their reactions to the news story about their most recent drug bust. A few minutes later, she got up to go to the restroom, unaware of Rogers's eyes tracking her every movement as she left the room.

Gage, however, was well aware of the other man's attention to his partner. He had been contemplating the best time to address the issue of the kiss with Sydney when he had been pulled from his thoughts by her movement as she stood from her seat beside him. He watched her and, once he realized she was headed to the restroom, turned his attention back to the other men at the table.

He saw, then, the look in Rogers's eyes as his gaze followed Sydney's every move. It was lustful and very nearly predatory, and it angered Gage. Then, when the other man stood and followed Syd out of the room, Gage's anger shifted quietly to rage. He made himself wait a full minute before he went after Rogers, hoping that it wouldn't be immediately obvious to the others at the table what his intentions were.

* * *

When Sydney stepped out of the restroom, she was surprised to find Rogers leaning against the door, waiting for her.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said with a smile. Then he reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

"Whoa," Sydney said as Rogers spun her around and pinned her against the wall, placing his hands on either side of her, penning her in.

"Can I play in your field of dreams?"

As Sydney realized exactly what Rogers had said, she smiled and shook her head in disbelief. Was he deliberately trying to be creepy? "I'm sorry. I don't do nightmares." She started to turn, using her hand to push his arm away from the wall so that she would be able to pass. As she did so, he shifted, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcibly pushing her back against the wall. She could see Gage standing at the end of the hallway, and he didn't look happy. But he also didn't approach, knowing that she was perfectly capable of handling this cretin by herself. "You don't want to do this," she warned Rogers, feeling his grip on her shoulders tighten.

"Oh, but I do," Rogers insisted, beginning to lean towards her.

It only took her a second to break his hold on her. She grabbed his right arm, twisting it behind him and forcing him to his knees. "No, you don't," she replied firmly, just before she pushed him the rest of the way to the floor and finally let go of his arm.

It was then that Gage approached. "You okay?" he asked, looking down at Rogers, who was still lying on the ground.

"Yeah," Syd replied, rolling her eyes. She then turned and walked out of the hallway back towards Trivette and the others.

Gage watched her leave and then turned back to Rogers. He had to chuckle to himself when he saw that the other man was still lying on the floor, probably too embarrassed at how easily he had been taken down by such a small woman to get up. Then Gage sobered as he remembered watching Rogers grab his partner and shove her up against the wall. He still had a fair amount of rage running through his system, but as he delivered a swift hard kick to Rogers's ribs, he found that his anger started to ebb. "You touch her again, and I'll break your arm." With that threat delivered, Gage cheerfully joined his partner back at their table.

* * *

The next morning, Sydney and Gage met at the Sage City police gym bright and early for a sparring match. Gage had a smile on his face as he dodged a series of kicks from Syd before throwing his own her way. He always enjoyed their workouts together, and he knew that Syd was always in a good mood whenever they fought, so he figured it might be the perfect time to start the conversation that he had been avoiding for the past month.

Striving to be ever so casual, Gage asked, "So, we gonna talk about it or what?"

"Talk about what?" Syd asked a little breathlessly as she threw a punch.

"Syd, you kissed me, come on." Gage made sure that he was still smiling widely as he made the comment, the comment that had the potential to change his life, for the better or for the much worse. He watched as Syd hesitated, as she practically stopped her movements, as she clearly recalled the moment after the wedding when she had grabbed him and kiss him full on the mouth. He waited to hear what she was going to say, trying not to let his apprehension show.

Sydney exhaled hard. Why was he bringing this up now? She had thought she was in the clear when he hadn't mentioned the kiss for the past month, but clearly, she had let her guard down just a little too soon. She knew he wouldn't deliberately try to embarrass her further, but she also couldn't figure out what else he could possibly hope to get out of this conversation. So when she finally began to respond, she did so slowly as she struggled to find the right words to get her out of this awkward conversation. "You know, Walker and Alex - they landed safely. I was excited." She hesitated a moment, and then continued with more confidence, "It was a celebration kiss." As she spoke she sent another punch towards his stomach that he dodged.

"Uh huh, yeah?" Gage said, smiling broadly as everything that she had just said had sounded like flimsy excuses to him. Like she was trying to talk herself into believing that was why she had kissed him, and that gave him hope.

"Yeah," Syd replied softly, watching him cautiously, not just for his next physical attack, but for whatever difficult subject he might bring up next.

"It didn't feel like a celebration kiss," Gage threw back at her, just as he returned her punch with his left hand, before using his right arm to grab her around the waist and pull her tightly into his side. It was a valid move when fighting an enemy, as it limited his ability to hit or kick you, but if Gage were honest, that wasn't why he had used it now. He just wanted to be able to look her in the eye as she responded to his challenge. And it didn't hurt that he enjoyed the feeling of having her pressed up tightly against him.

Syd wrapped her right arm around his waist, and as she looked up into his eyes from where she was held against his side, she decided to try a different tactic. "Trust me, if I ever kissed you for real, you'd know the difference," she said with false confidence, then used his hold on her to try to force him to the ground. Unfortunately, he knew her far too well and went with the movement until he could twist and kick her legs out from under her. She squealed as she went down and ended up flat on her back. Gage was above her, his right arm, which he had used to help soften her impact, still wrapped around her, and his left arm holding his body off of her. She smiled brightly up at him as she forgot her concerns about their conversation and started to just enjoy sparring with her partner once again.

Gage hesitated a moment above her, his smile faltering slightly. When he got up the nerve to speak, his voice came out a little tentative as he asked, "Why don't you let me see if I can tell the difference?"

When she realized what he was asking her, Sydney's smile faded as she looked up at him. "You want me to kiss you?" she asked breathlessly.

Gage looked into the eyes of this woman who meant more to him than anyone, and he realized that if he wanted to, he could take the kiss he wanted from her. But that wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want to take; he wanted her to give. So he leaned forward, as if he was going to kiss her, and as he did so, he noticed her lips part a little bit more, but then he pulled back from her completely and sat a couple feet away. "That's your call."

Sydney stayed where she was, considering her options. Gage had just asked her to kiss him, to really kiss him, and that was something that she had wanted to do for the longest time. But she wasn't sure if he saw this the same way that she did. Was he just joking around, trying to test her boast that he would know the difference if she did kiss him for real? But that didn't feel right to her. She knew him well enough to know that he would never want to hurt her or damage their partnership or friendship in any way. He also had seemed far too tentative and almost shy as he had asked for her kiss for this to be anything but real. She realized that if he could be brave enough to take this conversation to this point, that she could certainly be brave enough to end it. She bit her lip as she prepared herself to once again grab and kiss her partner, but this time without any possibility of taking her actions back.

Although it was only a matter of seconds, the wait for Sydney to make up her mind about where to go from here seemed interminable to Gage. When she bit her lip, he could tell that she was gearing up to respond, however, he had no idea what she was about to say or do. He had watched her closely while she had been thinking, but he couldn't read her expression.

Gage was so focused on Sydney and her reaction that he was only aware of the movement out of the corner of his eye at the last second, when it was already too late. Rogers had entered the gym and witnessed at least part of the exchange between Gage and Sydney. He was still furious at Gage for laughing at him and literally kicking him when he was down, and now he could see that Gage was the reason that Sydney had not responded to his advances the night before. So when Gage pulled back from Sydney, Rogers ran out onto the mat and, before either one of them had a chance to react, kicked Gage full on across the face. The force of the kick snapped Gage's head to the side and spun him around before he was knocked flat on his back on the ground. "There's your kiss," Rogers muttered angrily before turning to face Sydney. Unlike Gage, he wasn't going to ask for her kiss, he was going to take it, like he felt a man should.

Before Sydney had a chance to even fully take in what had just happened, she once again found herself pinned to the mat by a man. However, this time, it wasn't by her trusted friend and partner, but rather by a man she was beginning to suspect had some serious mental health issues. She didn't give it much thought before she shifted and brought her knee up, hard, between Rogers's legs. As he began to crumple into himself, moaning in pain, he released his hold on her and she shoved him off to the side of her. She sat up and saw a couple of Sage City police officers that she did not know running over to help. She called out to them, "I'm Ranger Sydney Cooke. I need you to get Officer Rogers out of here, right now. And if I see him even once the rest of the time that we are here, my partner and I will be filing charges for assault and attempted sexual assault."

"Yes, ma'am," the two men replied, hurrying to grab Rogers and drag him, still moaning, out of the gym.

Sydney immediately turned to check on Gage, who still had not gotten up. However, she was hugely relieved when she saw that he was watching her. Rogers's kick had not been pulled, and he was not wearing the padded sparring boots that she and Gage wore to soften the impact of any kicks that landed while they were fighting. She had been afraid that her partner had been knocked unconscious.

"Are you okay?" they both asked at the same time.

Sydney laughed a little, shaking her head. He was the one who had been knocked down, and he was the one with the cheek and jaw that were swollen and already beginning to darken with a bruise. And yet, he was asking if she was okay.

"Of course, I'm fine. How's your jaw?"

Gage moved his jaw up and down, side to side, testing it. "It's fine. Just a little sore," he replied. "Sorry I didn't help you with Rogers. I was just kind of stunned there for a minute. And then by the time I realized he had you pinned, you had him rolling on the floor in agony."

"Don't worry about it. He wasn't a problem." She shrugged off his concern, before leaning closer to him. She reached out and very gently ran her fingers along his swelling jaw. "Are you sure you're okay? This doesn't look like the 'just a little sore' kind of a bruise."

"It really is fine. I'll just put some ice on it later. I'm just pissed off that Rogers interrupted our conversation when he did." He hesitated a moment, looking up into her eyes before he continued softly, "I kinda got the impression that you were about to answer me."

"Maybe I can help ease your pain a little for you now, rather than waiting for the ice," she said, and she saw his disappointment that she was avoiding the issue. But then she leaned even closer and brushed her lips softly against his injury, in a 'kiss it and make it better' kind of way. "Did that help?"

Gage's eyes brightened with hope, and he found himself unable to speak, so he simply nodded. She leaned forward again and feathered kiss after kiss along his jaw, working her way slowly towards his mouth. She pulled away slightly, looking down into his eyes, and Gage couldn't help it, his gaze shifted to her lips. Then she leaned down and kissed him, really kissed him, full on the mouth. And she was right. He could tell the difference.

As Sydney's lips met his, he reached up and slid his hands into her hair, anchoring her against him. Without breaking the kiss, he sat up, shifted to wrap one of his arms around her waist, and deepened the kiss. Sydney responded enthusiastically and wrapped one arm around his neck and threaded the other into his hair at the nape of his neck. As their tongues met and tangled, Gage moaned softly with pleasure. He never wanted the kiss to end.

Unfortunately, Sydney misinterpreted his moan to be one of pain and pulled back, clearly concerned about his sore jaw. She opened her mouth, probably to ask him if he was okay, and he leaned in for another, equally passionate, kiss. But then he became distantly aware that they were in the middle of the police gym, and that they were not alone, and he reluctantly slowed the kiss and eventually forced himself to stop kissing Sydney entirely.

As they separated, Sydney suddenly realized that there were other people in the room, and all of them were watching her and Gage. She flushed slightly and quickly stood. Gage moved quickly to get to his feet as well and grabbed onto Syd's hand before she could get so embarrassed that she pulled away from him.

"So Shorty, back to the hotel for showers for both of us and some ice for me before we check in with Walker?" Syd nodded, but looked worried again as she glanced at his jaw. He must look pretty bad.

He smiled at her and started to lead her casually out of the gym, ignoring the Sage City police officers who, despite their attempts to appear as though they were not doing so, were watching them leave. Then, knowing it would distract her from feeling self-conscious, he admitted, "You were right." He waited till she looked up at him curiously before he continued, "I could tell the difference."

Sydney's smile lit up her face, and Gage couldn't believe how lucky he was. "You know, as nice as the celebration kiss was, I think I preferred the 'for real' one," Gage said, squeezing her hand a little tighter as she chuckled in response. "But now, what I'm wondering is this: is there a way to tell the difference between a 'for real' kiss and an 'I can't wait to get naked with you' kiss, or an 'I'm desperately in love with you' kiss?"

Sydney laughed out loud at that one, pulling Gage down for a quick kiss before they stepped outside onto the streets of Sage City. But as she pulled away, she didn't actually answer him. "I'm serious here, and I expect a serious answer. It's suddenly of vital importance to me that I have this knowledge. So is there a difference?"

"Nope. Not one bit," Syd replied cheekily.

"How's that fair? How am I supposed to know what to do when you kiss me? I mean - am I supposed to be celebrating, or just kissing, or getting naked, or whipping out a ring? How will I know if you don't let me in on the secret? I mean, can you imagine how embarrassing it would be if I start pulling out a ring when I'm supposed to be getting naked?"

Sydney's laughter started to fade at the first mention of a ring. Was he really already thinking about marriage? And as she looked up at this goofy, fun, respectful, loving man who had been her best friend and partner for the past three years, she realized that this was his way of telling her that he wanted a future with her, the forever kind of future. "I really don't think that would be a problem for me. You could always get naked after you give me the ring," Syd said with a wide smile on her face, her voice soft but still matching his playful tone.

Gage squeezed her hand tight in his own as he felt his heart expand in his chest. She had just acknowledged that she understood what he was trying to tell her. He was so incredibly happy at this moment he figured it couldn't possibly get better than this. "Oh, come on," he continued to tease her. "You've got to tell me the difference between the real kiss we just shared and the naked kiss and the love kiss."

She pulled him to a stop there on the sidewalk and turned to face him. "There's absolutely no difference at all, because that kiss we just shared already was both an 'I can't wait to get naked with you' kiss and an 'I'm desperately in love with you' kiss."

And Gage realized that he had been wrong a moment ago. It could get better, and it just had. "I love you, too," he replied, completely serious for the first time since leaving the gym. He leaned down for a quick, but still soft and loving, kiss. As they separated he shifted so he could whisper into her ear, "And I really, really, cannot wait to get you naked. So what do you say we race the rest of the way to the hotel?"

She laughed in response and smacked him playfully, but then she took off at a sprint down the street. Gage suddenly found it difficult to breathe as Sydney looked back over her shoulder at him as if asking 'what are you waiting for?' but that didn't stop him from breaking into a run and chasing after her. He was pretty sure they weren't going to be calling Walker any time in the near future. He certainly hoped nothing bad happened in Sage City in the meantime.

The End


	13. Deadly Situation Take 2

Author's Note: First of all, thank you so much for all your lovely reviews! They really do inspire me to keep writing.

It's funny. Just a few weeks ago, my fantastic beta, moviemom44, commented to me that she was a little disappointed that Sydney hadn't kicked Gage in my Deadly Situation chapter. She said that she'd always wanted to know what Sydney had been thinking that would cause her to do such a goofy thing. I responded that I never could figure out what she was thinking to the extent that I would be able to write about it, hence the Rogers kicking Gage alternative. Then a few days after that conversation, this story suddenly started writing itself in my head. So although I promised Reel Rangers, here is another one for Deadly Situation.

And now that I've gotten this one out of my system, I'm going back into Reel Rangers and will do my best to get it up as soon as possible. But in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Deadly Situation Take 2

Sydney was glad that Gage had cleared it with Lieutenant Shell for them to use the Sage City gym while they were in town. It had been far too long since she and her partner had had a good sparring match. It was her favorite way to work out, and from the smile on Gage's face as he dodged the series of kicks she sent his way then threw a few of his own, it seemed as though he felt the same way.

"So, we gonna talk about it or what?" Gage asked.

"Talk about what?" Syd asked a little breathlessly as she threw a punch.

"Syd, you kissed me, come on."

He said it so casually, she had trouble understanding what he was referring to for a fraction of a second. Then she exhaled hard. That was pretty much the last thing she had expected him to say. The idea that he wanted to talk about that kiss scared her half to death. In the two months since it had happened, it had been pretty much all she'd thought about. And she'd come to realize a couple things in the process. She wanted more than partnership and friendship with Gage, and she could never let herself have more with him.

Unfortunately, in all her thinking on the subject, it had never occurred to her that he would ask her about the kiss, so she wasn't prepared with an answer or explanation that would get her out of this situation. She had a feeling that she was going to screw this up somehow.

So when she finally began to respond, she did so slowly as she struggled to find the right words. "You know, Walker and Alex - they landed safely. I was excited." She hesitated a moment, and then continued with more confidence, "It was a celebration kiss." As she spoke she sent another punch towards his stomach that he dodged.

"Uh huh, yeah?" Gage said, still smiling broadly.

"Yeah," Syd replied softly, watching him cautiously, not just for his next physical attack, but because his smile was making her nervous. Why was he enjoying this so much? This particular conversation felt like walking through a minefield to her.

"It didn't feel like a celebration kiss," Gage threw back at her, just as he returned her punch with his left hand, then used his right arm to grab her around the waist and pull her tightly into his side.

She inhaled swiftly at suddenly finding herself pressed up against him. It was especially disconcerting given their current topic of conversation. She forced her thoughts away from how wonderful it felt, and wrapped her right arm around his waist. She looked up into his eyes and decided the best way to reply to his challenge would be to issue one of her own.

"Trust me, if I ever kissed you for real, you'd know the difference," she said with false confidence, then used his hold on her to try to force him to the ground.

Unfortunately, he knew her far too well and went with the movement until he could twist and kick her legs out from under her. She squealed as she went down and ended up flat on her back. Gage was above her, his right arm, which he had used to help soften her impact, still wrapped around her, and his left arm holding his body off of her. She smiled brightly up at him as she started to just enjoy sparring with her partner once again, figuring that the conversation was finally at an end.

Gage hesitated a moment above her, his smile faltering slightly. She started to feel uneasy again as it seemed as though he was trying to get up the nerve to speak.

"Why don't you let me see if I can tell the difference?" he asked, his voice a little tentative.

When she realized what he was asking her, Sydney's smile faded as she looked up at him. "You want me to kiss you?" she asked, breathless not just from the workout but from the panicky fear that had invaded her the moment she realized what he was asking of her.

Gage leaned forward, as if he was going to kiss her, and as he did so, she involuntarily parted her lips a little bit more, but then he pulled back from her completely and sat a couple feet away. "That's your call."

Before she had really thought anything through, she felt her leg moving through the air, felt her foot impact his jaw, as, Oh God, she kicked him full across the face. She quickly got to her feet as she realized exactly what she'd just done. Oh God. Okay, she just had to find a way to turn this into a joke. That was the only way she could see to get out of this. She forced a smile onto her face and said, "There's your kiss."

Her heart plummeted as she watched him stand, as she saw the hurt expression on his face, as she heard him mutter, "That wasn't funny, Syd."

"Come on," she said, throwing a playful punch towards him, trying to get him involved in their sparring match again to keep him from leaving. She knew she had failed as she watched him turn away from her and leave, muttering again, "Wasn't funny, Syd," as he went.

And she knew that it wasn't in any way funny, and as he left the gym, she stopped trying to convince herself that it was. She sank down to the mat, unable to stand anymore as she thought about the pain she had seen on his face, the pain that she had put there. She had hurt Gage, and that was something she never ever thought she would do. She had hurt him, not physically, but emotionally, and God, that was worse.

Physically, he was a strong man, and he could take a punch or a kick from her without any problem, even if she hadn't pulled the kick. But, emotionally, it was a different matter. She knew, given the abuse he'd suffered at the hands of his foster parents, just how hard he found it to open up to someone, to let himself be completely vulnerable. And just now, just now, he'd laid his heart bare in front of her, asking her for a kiss, and she knew, asking for more than a kiss. And how had she responded? She kicked him. And God, wasn't that the worst possible way she could have responded?

She'd watched him close up and lock down, hiding everything he was feeling, where just moments before he'd been an open book. Everything had been there for her to see: his affection, his attraction, his nervousness, his hope. It had all been there, and she'd just thrown it all away. She'd rejected Gage. And the way she'd rejected him was pretty much the most terrible way she could imagine: physical violence followed by an attempt to turn everything he had been offering into a joke. Why had she done that? The only answer she had was that she was afraid, and it was an instinctive response. She hadn't thought about it before it had happened, and, God, she wished she had. Because she never would have done it. Would never have hurt him that way.

What were the chances that Gage was going to be able to just forgive her rejection? If he couldn't forgive her then she had just cost herself her best friend, and that thought made her feel sick to her stomach. Oh God, she had to try fix this, and she had to do it now. She got quickly to her feet and rushed out of the gym after Gage.

* * *

The knock came at the hotel room door a lot sooner than Gage had expected it. Actually, he hadn't been expecting it at all. Knowing his partner, he had figured that she would just ignore what had happened between them and hope that it would just go away. After all, that's how she had dealt with their kiss at the wedding. He supposed he should have left it alone; his heart would still be in one piece if he had.

Since he had made no move to get up off the bed and answer the door, the knock came again, a little louder this time, and accompanied by her voice. "Gage? It's Syd."

Gage sighed, unsure what to do. He really wasn't ready to deal with her yet. The sting of her rejection was still too strong for him to be able to pretend that everything was okay, and he knew that was what she would need him to do. To just go on being the best friend and partner, and never admit to wanting more or being heartbroken at being rebuffed.

Just as he was deciding he could probably get away with pretending to be in the shower, Sydney banged on the door again. She waited a moment and then called out to him more quietly. "Gage, please let me in. I really need to talk to you."

He could hear her voice trembling, and that was what ultimately made his decision for him. Was she crying? Afraid? He didn't know what exactly was upsetting her, but he didn't have it in him to turn her away when she was upset, no matter what the reason. He slowly got to his feet and walked to the door. He rested his head against it for a moment, trying to collect himself a little before he swung the door open.

He didn't say anything, just let her in and then went back to sitting on the edge of his bed. She followed him across the room and stood facing him for a moment, but then seemed to change her mind and turned to sit on the bed a few feet away from him, staring at the same empty wall he was starting at.

Gage had hoped that Sydney would take the lead and explain why she had come, why she sounded and looked upset. He didn't want to embarrass himself any further by bringing up what had just happened if she was there for a different reason, although he couldn't imagine what else would bring her to his room this way. However, as they sat in silence for a few minutes, it looked like Syd was not going to be starting the conversation. With a sigh, Gage asked, "What do you need, Syd?"

"I need you to know that I am so so sorry. You have to know that I would never intentionally hurt you," Sydney said in a rush.

Gage didn't reply immediately. She was sorry; he knew she was, believed her when she said she didn't want to hurt him, but he wasn't quite ready to just accept her apology. Not without understanding first. "Then, why? Why did you kick me?" He hesitated a moment, and when she didn't immediately answer him, he asked, "Was it really just a joke to you?"

"No!" Syd replied emphatically. "I know it wasn't funny. I didn't even know that I was going to kick you until I felt myself do it. Then I just panicked, and that was the only way I could think of to explain away what I'd just done, to try to play it off as a joke."

Okay, he could understand that. In fact, it made a lot more sense to him if her actions were instinctive rather than deliberate. It also hurt less, knowing that she hadn't meant to kick him, knowing also that she wanted to fix whatever hurt she may have caused. It seemed that what had happened might have less to do with him than he had initially thought. Now he just had to try figure out what was actually going on.

"But if it wasn't a joke, then why did you really do it?" he asked gently, knowing this was hard for her.  
Sydney sat in silence for a minute, and when she finally spoke, she did so haltingly, as if even she wasn't sure of the answer. "I was scared." She gave a little shrug. "That's the only thing that I can say for myself. I was scared, and that's what I do when I'm scared. I kick or punch or just generally attack whatever is scaring me. And you were scaring me, so I lashed out at you physically."

Gage was confused at first when she admitted to being scared, until she added that she had been afraid of him. Then he was horrified. He couldn't stand the thought of having Sydney feel unsafe with him. He gently used his hand to turn her face towards him, forcing her to look him in the eye for the first time during this conversation. Then he asked, "Were you afraid because I had you pinned to the mat? Did you think I would, I don't know, take advantage of having the upper hand?"

She took his hand in hers and squeezed reassuringly as she answered him. "No, God no, Gage. I've never been physically afraid of you, and I can't even imagine a situation in which I would be. I know you'd never physically hurt me."

She hesitated a moment before she continued softly, "It was an emotional fear. You were changing everything between us, and that terrified me. And I lashed out, and you left, and I was still afraid. But then I realized that the other thing I do when I'm scared is turn to my partner, because you're always there for me. Except that when I turned to you, you weren't there, because I'd driven you off, I'd hurt you. And that scared me more than anything. I can't lose you, Gage," Syd said earnestly, wiping away a rogue tear. She looked up at him, letting him see her fear, silently pleading with him.

Gage quickly pulled her into a hug. "Shh... Syd. I'm not going anywhere." He held her tightly for a few minutes, letting her calm down. No wonder she'd come running to his room so upset, she had clearly thought her actions had cost her his friendship. The thought had never crossed his mind. He'd been terribly hurt by what he'd perceived to be her rejection, and he'd wanted time to deal with it on his own, but he'd never once considered ending their friendship.

As he finally pulled back from her, he said again, "I'm not going anywhere. But Syd, you've got to help me understand this. Why are you so afraid? You said that I was changing everything between us, but all I did was ask for a kiss. And if you'll remember, you were the one who kissed me first. So why exactly does the idea of a second kiss change everything?"

"You weren't just asking for a second kiss. You were asking for a lot more than that," Syd said, and she seemed much calmer and more confident now that he had reassured her she wasn't going to lose him. "And that would change everything."

"Okay," Gage said, realizing he had to be just as honest with her as she had been with him through the conversation so far. "Yes. All I asked for was a kiss, but I wanted a lot more than that. But even so, that doesn't change everything. No matter what else happens, we will still be partners and friends."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"Our friendship is far too important to me to let anything happen to jeopardize it. And I think it's just as important to you." She nodded and squeezed the hand she'd grabbed onto after he'd pulled away from their embrace. He squeezed back, then asked, "So why would you think anything would change that?"

"I don't know. If we change things between us, and it all goes wrong, then it's going to be really hard to stay friends. I guess I think that no matter how hard we tried, there's no guarantee we'd succeed. And even if we did, it wouldn't ever be the same," Sydney explained.

It was clear to Gage that she'd thought about this before now. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who had been contemplating the possibility of this particular change in their relationship since the wedding. Only, it seemed as though his partner had only seen negatives, where he'd only seen positives. "I will admit that I see your point, but why are you so sure something will go wrong?"

"I'll screw it up. I always do. I'm... not very good with men," Syd admitted. "You said it yourself, I tend to intimidate them."

Gage laughed out loud, he was so pleased with her answer. It wasn't that she wasn't sure of her feelings for him, or she wasn't attracted to him, or anything to do with him and their relationship at all. He could tell she was confused and a little hurt by his laughter, so he was quick to explain. "Syd, I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you. I'm just so happy that's what's bothering you, because it's such an easy problem to dismiss."

She looked at him skeptically. "What do you mean it's easy to dismiss? From where I'm sitting it's a pretty big problem."

"Sydney, it's easy because you don't have to be good with men," Gage replied still smiling. "I'm not men. It's just me. It's Gage. And you are very good with me."

He could almost hear her thinking to herself, "Could it really be that easy?" so he repeated himself for emphasis. "You are very good with me. And you only intimidate me about five percent of the time and it's usually when you find out I forgot to do our paperwork, so I think we'll be fine," he said, glad to see her smile. "Of course, I can tell you one thing, I won't ever be asking for a kiss again," he teased her, rubbing his jaw where she had kicked him even though they both knew she hadn't hit him hard enough to bruise.

Sydney's smile dropped, and she suddenly looked horribly disappointed. "Oh, you won't?"

"Nope." Gage leaned towards her, used a hand to gently tip her face up and pressed a tentative kiss to her lips, asking her for her kiss with his actions instead of his words. He waited until she began to kiss him back to pull her into his arms and deepen the kiss.

Gage finally pulled back from her to say, "We'll take it slow. Okay?" Sydney nodded and tried to pull him back down for another kiss. Gage laughed softly but still resisted her. "And from now on, if you get scared, please promise me you will tell me with words."

"I promise. And I also promise that from now on, if you ever should decide to ask for a kiss, I will use my lips, not my feet, to give it to you," Syd replied, smiling brightly up at him.

"That would be very much appreciated. And in that case," Gage said, as he turned and used his body to press her back onto the bed, pinning her there in much the same way he'd pinned her to the mat earlier. "Why don't you let me see if I can tell the difference?" Gage asked with a gentle smile.

Sydney smiled brilliantly up at him as she realized what he was doing. "You want me to kiss you?" she asked, breathless this time for an entirely different reason.

"That's your call." And this time, she didn't let him pull away from her, and she didn't kick him, and she didn't even let him up for air for a long, long time. And it was exactly as it should have been the first time around.

The End


End file.
